Where All Times Meet
by Miss Odale Overstrand
Summary: ' "No." Odale said, her voice was cold as ice. "Septimus won't do it." Fume looked furious. "Yes, he will." ' Tertius Fume, the first Hermetic Scribe ever gets in a fight with Marcia and wants revange. He sends out her apprentices to the deathly Queste. Will they survive? *bad summary, better story*
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

* * *

"Feed the magogs, don't touch the sleuth and _don't _sneak around in _my _room." Simon had said. But Merrin hadn't listened very closely. He had other things on his mind. Like the Two-Faced Ring, _the __**Darke **__Index_ and... Well, getting out of the Observatorium. Merrin wondred what Odale would think about that he had found_ the __**Darke **__Index_. He didn't knew if he should tell her, or not. Would she get furious? Would she get... happy? Would she hate him? Would she still be his friend?  
In wich case, he should do it. He should begin to use the Two-Faced Ring.

From his secret hidingplace under his matress, Merrin picked out _the __**Darke **__Index_. He opend it at the last page, and read the title:

_**Darkening **__the fate of AnOther_

_or The Ruination of Thine Enemy by Use of the Two Faced Ring_

Merrin didn't know if she should smirk or whimper. He knew the words by heart, but had never dared to go further with **Darkening** anyones fate, since below the title, it read:

_Read no Further until Thou art Ready to Do,  
Else shall be the worse for you_

He decided to whimper, even though it sounded rather cowardly. At least, he was ready. Or maybe wasn't that ready. He supressed the urge to blow it all of and do it tomorrow, instead. But a part of him knew that if he would do like that, he would never- _never_- do it. He would never get a chance like this again. He sighed, and begun to read further.

_First You **Summon** Your Servant **Thing**_

If Merrin had been nerveous in the begining, this was worse. It was really _bad_, infact. But, he knew that he had to do it. Merrin pulled out the **Summoning Charm **from the book and looked at it. It was a very thin, black diamon. Cold as ice. He shuddered and wondered if Odale ever seen anything like this. As it was written that he should do, he put the **charm **close to his heart, while **chanting **the **summoning**. Nothing happend. Maybe... maybe everyone was right? Was he stupid? Merrin felt tempted to just do as Odale always had told him, and find is 'thing'. A hobby, or something. But now, that he already had begun, Merrin didn't want to stop. Otherwise, it would be very bad for him. He knew that. He tried to **summoning** again and again, twenty-five more times, infact. It didn't seem to work. It didn't seem to work at all... Merrin took a deep breath- as Odale would have told him too, he was sure of- and read further down the page. Filled with disgust over what he just had done, he dropped the book.

_Now Address the **Thing **_

_**Demand **to **See**_

_Remove it's Invisibility_

The instructions further down on the page read. Merrin gritted his teeth, cursed the book- and himself- and begun to follow the rest of the instructions. He did the **See**, he closed her eyes and counted to thirteen and... he was surrounded by **Things**. It was a _awful_ feeling. It was like... like when Odale had died. He felt hopeless, powerless... It was just _plainly awful_, ande even though Merrin would have liked to give up, he knew that he needed to continue. Now, the part that he had been afraid of came.

_Now Take with you your Servant **Thing** _

_To Find and Fetch the Two-Faced Ring_

Merrin was very scared of the Two-Faced Ring. Once, his- and Odale's- old master had told him about it. DomDaniel had said that he- DomDaniel- was indestructible, because he wore that ring. That the ring was indestrucible. It had scared Merrin horrable much. Odale had mocked him because of that for ages. It didn't matter now. Not anymore, not ever. But he really, really had to find the bones of DomDaniel...

* * *

He had found them in the **EndlessCupboard**. It had been really frightening, all of it. To go _into that horrable place_, to take the sack with bones, to capture the bones and cut the thumb where the Two-Faced Ring was... But now... now, it was _done_. Over. He had put that ring on, he had **chanted **all the **speel **belonging to it. Now, there was only one thing left to do: to get back to the Castle where the one with the fate that he should **Endarken** were.

* * *

**(A/N Sadly, no poem this time (sadly and sadly...). However, a quick question: is there something special that you want to see or happen, or is there something I should think of? I'm open to (almost) all ideas. By the way, was it too early to post the new story?)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: The Vaults

* * *

Odale was- in fact- in a quite good temper, as she was walking beside Marcia towards the Manuscriptorium. She didn't know why, it was just one of these days she felt... great. And she didn't know why Marcia was heading towards the Manuscriptorium, but Odale followed. Odale had a... special effect on most of the Scribes at the Manuscriptorium- they were very scared for her, since she once had killed one of the Chief Hermetic Scribes. Most of them had begun to understand that she was no threat, but Jillie Djinn was still horrified. Which- since Marcia and miss Djinn often got into fights- had showed up to be very handy. But it wasn't needed for that day. Miss Djinn was not there, it turned out when the stepped into the larming Manuscriptorium. Odale groaned. Her ears were very sensetive (and had been ever since she had gotten turned into a wolf. Also her nose and eyes had grown more sensetive), and the sounds were pure torture to her. But soon, the sound stopped and Odale sighed in relief. Marcia cleared her throat and looked at the boy behind the desk.  
"Beetle, where is miss Djinn?" she asked.  
"She's not here!" Beetle shouted. Odale noticed that he wore earplugs.  
"Beetle," she said, "I think that it would be a rather good idea to pull these things out of your ears."  
"_What?_" Beetle wondered loudly, "What- oh!"  
He pulled out the earplugs and turned to Marcia.  
"What did you want, madam Marcia?" he asked. "I am in charge as long as miss Djinn's gone."  
"_Great_." Marcia answered, smiling. "But- unfortunatley- I need to get down to the Vaults."  
Then, she turned to Odale.  
"You don' have to follow if you don't want to, Odale." she said. Odale was seriously considering to leave, but Marcia would maybe need her. The ghost guarding the Vaults was so annoying.  
"No." Odale replied, "No, I'll follow."  
Beetle led them past the scribes in the heart of the Manuscriptorium, into a candlelit passage and there... the door to the Vaults. And the Ghost of the Vaults; Tertius Fume, the first Chief Hermetic Scribe. Even though he was an ancient ghost, he wasn't very faded and his voice was strong. Odale _hated_ him, and she had done that ever since she was DomDaniel's apprentice. It had been when she was supposed to go down to the Vaults and fetch a special object to him. She had said that she was DomDaniel's apprentice, and that she would pass. Appereantly, DomDaniel and Fume had talked and Fume knew that DomDaniel's apprentice would stop by. But he hadn't known that it was a _girl_. He had laughed at her and said that _no_, she couldn't be DomDaniel's apprentice. She had been forced to proove, and had threatened him with an uncomfortable, **darke **trick. He had never questionized her ever since, but he always glared at her whenever he saw her. However, Marcia went straight to the goat-looking man and said, loudly; "Tentacle."** (A/N This is me and my computer every time I'm supposed to look up something really important.)**  
"No."  
"What do you mean with that?" Odale snapped, "'Course it is!"  
"Why?" the ghost snapped back, leaning against the door. Odale gritted her teeth, and was about to say something really rude, but Beetle put his hand on her shoulder. She had no problems understanding what that meant; _"It's not worth it"_  
"Why on earth should I know that?" Marcia said, "There's no symbolic point in that password, it just _is_. Let us go through now. _Tentacle!_"  
"I changed it."  
Odale smirked at him. "You can't change it without talking to the Password Comitee, where _Marcia _happens to be _chairwoman_." she replied.

The great irondorr remained closed, and Fume started to look at his nails, as if Marcia, Odale and Beetle weren't there.  
"I-" Marcia begun, but Odale cut her of.  
"Tertius Fume," she hissed, and Fume looked up at her, shocked by hearing his name, "If we don't pass _very soon_, it's going to go really, really bad for you."  
Marcia sighed. She knew by experience that the way Odale spoke to him wouldn't make him open the door any faster. But she was wrong. Slowly, the doorswung open. Fume glared at Odale.  
"Alright." he said, "In you go. But don't destroy anything."  
They entered, but Odale kept cursing him under her breath.

* * *

Marcia wanted to have a look on _The Live Plan On What Lies Beneath_. Odale didn't listen very closely on what she was talking about, but when Marcia mentioned the ExtraOrdinary Apprentice Urn, she got curious. She knew that she really shouldn't, but she **read** Marcia's thoughts. Marcia didn't notice a thing, but Odale got shocked. Marcia wanted to _leave the __**Flyte Charm **__down there!_ Odale couldn't stand the thought. It was an ancient **charm**, a unique piece of **magyk**. And Marcia wanted to just leave it down there. Odale couldn't stand it. Very quietly, Odale focused on the little** charm **that looked like a golden arrow. Fortunately, it wasn't in one of Marcia's safe pockets. Odale **called** the **charm **to her, and soon, she felt it in her palm. Quickly, she letted it slip into her pocket. Then she used a trick that she hadn't used in a long, long time. She **copied **the **charm**. **Copies** of **charms **looks _just like the __**charm**_ that it's supposed to be a copy of, but it doesn't have any **magyk **in it. Odale hoped that Marcia wouldn't feel any difference. And Marcia didn't. If Marcia would have cared a bit to try to **feel** the **magyk**, she maybe would have noticed a distance, but since she didn't. Odale sighed with relief.  
"Marcia," she said, "Would you mind if I left now? I-"  
"It's alright, Odale." Marcia said, "But don't forget that you have lessons in the afternoon, too."

* * *

On the way out, she collided with someone that she absolutley hadn't expected to see there: Merrin.  
"Merrin!" she cried out, happily. "What are you doing here?"  
"I'm here for the job." he replied, "I saw the sign..."  
"You are?" Odale wondered, "That's _great__!_"  
She hugged him tightly, not realizing that he blushed. Suddenly, Odale froze.  
"Did you feel that?" she wondered.  
"Feel what?"  
"**Darke**." Odale said. A chill ran down her spine. Where did it come from? And why had it appeard so suddenly?  
"**Darke**, you said?" Merrin asked, quickly pulling his hands into his pockets. "But-"  
Odale shrugged. "Probably from the Manuscriptorium." she said, "I suppose it have to be a **charm**, or something like that."  
"You're probably right." Merrin replied. Odale studied his face more closely. His black, straight har had grown almost an inch since she last saw him, and he was taller.  
"Mmmh..." Odale looked out the window, "But Merrin, I _really _got to go now. Are you alright with that?"  
"Yeah..." Merrin said. Odale hugged him briefly- goodness, he was _cold!-_ and hurried out from the Manuscriptorium. She was going to see Jenna.

* * *

Back in the Manuscriptorium, Merrin looked after her. She hadn't even asked where he was staying over night. Not that he had somewhere to stay, but still...


	3. Chapter 3

**(The beginning is a little bit (or quite much) alike the original book, I know. But, it will be better (not better than the original book, I meant that it would be less alike Queste). Promise.) **

* * *

Chapter 2: The Selkie

* * *

Odale nodded at Hildegarde as she passed the doors that lead into the Palace. Both she and Hildegarde knew that she certainly was allowed to be there. Odale scratched her long, wavy hair. Usually, Jenna would have been outside a day like this, but she didn't see the princess anywhere. Odale sighed, beginning to walk down the long corridor called the Long Walk. Sometimes, Jenna was there, watching the decorations scattered around the corridor. Once, the Long Walk had been filled with all kids of paintings, statues... just different pieces of art. These items had been sold by the Supreme Custodian and most of them were gone, but Jenna's father- Milo Banda- had begun to collect new objects. People complained and said that these were cheap replacements, but Odale dissagreed. She thought they were rather nice. But she still wished that she had seen the Long Walk as it was before the time some people called the 'Bad Old Days'. However, while she was wandering down the Long Walk, she saw Sarah Heap. Sarah looked rather shocked and- well- a little bit said. But when she saw Odale, her face cracked up in a smile.  
"Hi, Odale." she said, "What are you doing here?"  
"Hello, mrs. Heap." Odale replied, "I am looking for Jenna..."  
"Oh, Jenna is with Septimus." Sarah said, and sighed. "I just wish that Septimus could spend some time with _me_. Of course, it's nice that he spends time with his sister, but..."  
"Mrs. Heap, I am sorry if I interupt you but... as far as I know, Septimus spends very much time of all his free time _here_." Odale tried to smile, but her head was filled with questions. "At least, that is what he has told me."  
"Oh no." Sarah replied, "No, he is barely _ever_ here, I haven't seen him in weeks..."  
"How odd." Odale muttered. Why had Septimus _lied _to her? Was he hiding something? No. Not Septimus. "However, I have to go."  
"Alright, dear." Sarah smiled at her. "Goodbye. And say hi to Septimus from me!"  
"I will." Odale replied, "Have a good day, mrs. Heap."  
She hurried away from the Palace. At first, she thought that she was going back to the Wizard Tower. But then, she realized that she had to visit her mother.

* * *

When Odale thought about it, her mother wasn't that bad. But she was a little odd at some times. And her latin-accent was funny and awkward. Even though her mother had said that they had changed language after that Joseph- Odale's father- Marcia, and the rest of their family, Odale still had trouble believeing it. Why would they even change language in the first place? She had asked her mother, but Cashmére had just shook her head and said that she would tell Odale later on. Odale had never cared about family in that way, but ever since she had found out that she had a mother who actually was alive, she was curious about her family. She had never ased Marcia, since she assumed that since Marcia never spoke about the family, she didn't want to talk about it. And Odale had thought that she was okay with that. Now, in wich case, Odale stood outside her mother's door. Thoughtfully, she knocked at it. Almost immediatley- Odale was always shocked about how _quick_ Cashmére was- Cashmére opend the door. She was smiling.  
"Hello!" she said, cheerfully. "Do you have a day off again?"  
Sometimes, it annoyed Odale how cheerful and happy her mother was at sometimes. It just... wasn't right. But she nodded.  
"Hi." she replied.  
"Come inside, Odale." Cashmére stepped aside, allowing Odale to come into the house.

* * *

Her mother's rooms in the Ramblings always smelled vaguely with lavendel. Odale knew that lavendel and lilies was her mother's favourite flowers. And everything was red. The apartment had three room; her mother's bedroom, the livingroom/kitchen and an empty room that Odale knew would have been hers if she was living there. Right now, she was sitting at one of the pillows at the huge, red carpet in her mothers livingroom. Odale sighed and rose up, her mother had left the room 'to go and fetch something'.

* * *

Marcia put down the very odd pair of shoes. She was pale. It couldn't be possible. These looked extremly alike the shoes that Septimus had said that they wore five hundred years ago- the time of Marcellus Pye. Why had someone ordered a pair of those? Marcia shook her head. Then she realized something: it was her birthday very soon. Honsetly, Marcia did not like to be reminded of her birthday. Could these shoes be Septimus's birthday-gift to her? She _hoped_ so. It could possibly be Odale's birthday-gift to her, but Odale wouldn't make up something like that. Her idea of a good birthday-gift was a book or some rare **charm**. Terry Tarsal appeard- she was at Terry Tarsal's shoeshop- with her shoes.  
"The glue has to be on the shoes for an hour." he said. Marcia had broke the heels of her shoes when she was out on the Wizard Tower's yard. Which reminded her; she had to talk to Septimus about Spit Fyre soon. Quickly, Marcia put down the shoes on the place she had picked them up. But Terry noticed it.  
"The oddest pair of shoes I've ever made." he continude, "Infact, it was your apprentice who ordered them."  
"Really?" Marcia sighed and felt relieved.  
"Yes." Terry replied, "And that strange man... Mr. Pye, or something like that..."  
"_What?_"  
"Yep, Pye it was." Terry Tarsal said. Marcia felt furious.  
"Are you _absolutley_ sure it was?" she wondred, trying to hide her anger.  
"Oh, yes." Terry answered, not noticing Marcia's supressed anger. "He had an odd way of speaking- even though he didn't speak very much."  
"Thank you, mr. Tarsal." Marcia said, dryly. She was about to leave the shop, but Tarsal reminded her of one thing.  
"Madam Overstrand?" he replied, "Haven't you forgot something?"  
"What?" Marcia snapped. Terry Tarsal cleared his throat.  
"Your shoes." he said.  
"Oh." Marcia sighed. "Right."

* * *

"I saw this necklace last week..." Cashmére said to Odale, picking up a piece of fabric and begun to unfold it. "I thought that you'd maybe would like it."  
Odale had never been fashion-interested, but recently (she had realized to her own irritation) she had begun to be more and more interested in fashion. The thing Cashmére had bought was a neckalce with a tiny blue, green and silvery seal as berlock. She handed it to Odale.  
"Thanks." Odale replied, watching the necklace. "I like it."  
"Do you want me to pull it on?" Cashmére wondered. Odale nodded. She touched the tiny little berlock and smiled.  
"Thanks."  
"That's not all." Cashmére said, "Say 'change' to the berlock."  
"Change..." Odale said, doubtfully. Nothing happend.  
"No, with confidence. _Command _it." Cashmére told her.  
"Change." Odale said, in a tune she hoped sounded confident. And the necklace changed. Instead of a seal, it was a woman with long, flowing hair and seal-tail. Odale widened her eyes.  
"A-"  
"Selkie." her mother smiled at her. "Back in the Eastern Snowplains, there are hundred of these."  
"Really?" Odale wondered. Her mother never got the chance to answer the question. Suddenly, the door flew open and Marcia came into the apartment.  
"Odale," she yelled, "_Where_ is Septimus?"  
"I don't know." Odale replied, but when she saw Marcia's expression, she changed her mind. "With Jenna-"  
"But _where!?_"  
"I don't know."  
Marcia sat down at a chair, put her left hand to her forehead and sighed.  
"Why do you ask?" Odale asked.  
"Marcellus Pye." Marcia replied.  
"_Marcellus Pye?_" Odale exclaimed, "But he's d-"  
"No." Marcia said, "Tarsal saw him."  
"The shoemaker?" Odale shook her head, "You have no idea about how stupid that sounds."  
"Odale." Cashmére said, reproachfully.  
"But he died fivehundred years ago!" Odale snapped. "There's no way that he can have survived for that long. If he wouldn't have the Two Faced Ring, which he hasn't. It's gone."  
Marcia shook her head. Which made Odale crazy. It was as if Marcia silently said: _'You're young. You don't know.'_  
"I thought the same way, until Septimus was kidnapped and I found that note-"  
"Okay, so since Septimus gave you a note, it's possible to live for fivehundred years." Odale said, "Alright, I understand."  
"Odale." Marcia sighed, "I didn't mean-"  
"Like that, alright." Odale said, "Fine, I'll help you to find him. See you, mother."  
Cashmére tried to smile, but Odale was already gone. She sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N Well, I knoew that Marcia might be a little bit out of character-like, _but_ I'm still pretty kappy with this chapter. The A/N after the story might be a little confusing, and it's just funfacts. But, if you're like me who loves symbols and coincidens that you can take as symbols, it might be interessting and worth a try. Or if you just want to be nice to me XD)**

* * *

Chapter 3: **Projection**

* * *

"But how do you kow he lives here?" Odale asked Marcia. They stood outside the Snake Slipway. Marcia had lead her there, without saying anything.  
"Tarsal said it." Marcia aswered shortly. Odale muttered somethig about 'Tarsal here and Tarsal there', but Marcia didn't listen. Instead, she- as Odale described it- attacked the door knocker. Odale cleared her throat.  
"There is a doorbell..." she said, but Marcia ignored her. Odale could tell that Marcia was furious. The rain was pouring down, and Odale had a feeling that said that she looked quite miserable. Finally, someone opend the door.  
"Hi, Marcia." she heard Septimus say. She saw him briefly, and tried to wave at him. But he didn't see her.  
"Septimus Heap." Marcia said, coldly, "What is your excuse?"  
"Marcia, I-" Septimus begun, but got cut of by another voice, which said:  
"Oh, madam Marcia, nice of you to stop by." a voice replied, "Do you want to come inside?"  
Without giving a reply, Marcia stepped inside, and Odale followed.  
"And this must be your niece- Odale, am I right?" the owner to the voice said. He was a man with a ridiculos haircut, long sleeves and very, very odd shoes. The man wore the robes of an alchemist, and at once Odale felt disgusted. She shared her aunts opinion on alchemists, but had other reasons. No matter what she thought of him, Odale nodded at the question. But she didn't say anything.  
"**Close**." Marcia hissed at the door, and at once the door closed itself. "Well, _Septimus_."  
She said, looking at Septimus. Odale felt immediatley sorry for him.  
"Yes, Marcia?" Septimus wondered. He looked like a mouse caught by a snake.  
"Who is your... _friend?_" Marcia asked, coldly. She glanced at Marcellus.  
"Er..." Septimus muttered, "Marcia- this is Marcellus. Pye. Marcellus- this is Marcia Overstrand, the ExtraOrdiary Wizard."  
"Just as I thought." Marcia snapped. "Now, Septimus, it's time to go back to the Wizard Tower."  
"But-" Septimus protested.  
"No." Marcia said, "You're grounded. Two weeks."  
"That's not fair!" Odale replied. The first time she had spoken since she stepped into the house.  
"Odale, one more word and you will be grounded, you too." Marcia said.  
Odale opend her mouth, closed her mouth, then she folded her arms and snorted.  
"Marcellus can-"  
"I don't care if he can help you fly to the moon." Marcia answered, "He's an alchemist."  
"And Beetle- what do you expect that miss Djinn would say if she knew this?" she added, when she saw Beetle. Odale didn't think that it was especially fair or polite to mention that either- but she stayed quiet.  
Beetle- who was there, along with Jenna- looked down.  
"Now, however, we got to go." Marcia snapped with her fingers, the door flew open and Marcia stepped out. Odale glanced at Septimus, and followed Marcia. Septimus hated that expression... she looked dissapointed. He knew why- he thought. He would be quite sad, too, if she would have kept silent about something like that. But she hadn't told him about that she sometimes visited the Port Witch Coven, had she? No. On the other hand, he didn't want to know that. Septimus sighed, and also he followed Marcia. He waved at Marcellus, who waved back. Marcellus said something, too, but Septimus didn't hear it because of the rain.

* * *

"How can I ever trust you again?" all the way back to the Wizard Tower, Marcia kept on telling them- she told Septimus, but Odale had to listen to it- how dissapointed she was. Septimus didn't reply to Marcia's questions, he just stared at the ground. At last, Marcia went silent. Odale glanced at Septimus, who looked very... neglected.  
"Septimus." she whispered, hoping that Marcia wouldn't hear. And she didn't. At least she didn't seem to care.  
"Yes?" he replied lowly.  
"Why are you so... sad?"  
"Nicko."  
"What?" Odale had slowly begun to accept the fact that Septimus maybe had been five hundred years back in time, but she still didn't think that Nicko was left there. She absolutley didn't believe it. Even though Septimus hadn't talked much about it, she knew that he was feeling horrable. And she knew that it was what he meant when he said 'Nicko'.  
"Marcellus could help me." Septimus whispered, "Marcellus said that Nicko had been with him- Marcellus, I mean- and that... I'll tell you more when we're back."  
_Yeah, we'll have a lot of time to do that_, Odale thought, _two weeks... Yuck. _Odale nodded, and they continude the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

"Now, Septimus, I'd like to ask you a few things." Marcia said, when they finally arrived at to the Wizard Tower, They were just outside the Great Arch.  
"How _on earth _does Marcellus Pye look so _young?_"  
Septimus sighed. "The Potion of Eternal Youth." he said.  
"_What?_" Odale and Marcia wondered, at the same time.  
"The Potion of Eternal Youth." Septimus replied, once again. "I helped him to do it. It was all about the-"  
"Wait a moment," Odale said, "So you- _you_- just happend to have the ingredients to Eternal Youth laying around and stuffed it all together?"  
Septimus tried not to laugh at the description. "No, not really." he answered, "The base was already done. It was just about the placement of the planets and-"  
Odale couldn't help but snort.  
"Septimus." she said, "It all sounds like-"  
"Rubbish." Marcia folded in, "Septimus, I am only getting this angry on you because I want to protect you."  
"I understand, Marcia, but-"  
"I can't take this anymore, Septimus." Marcia said, "And about Spit Fyre-"  
Odale couldn't listen to it anymore, and- since it honestly didn't have anything to do with her- she went up to the Wizard Tower. Soon, she would have to do a **projection**. Which- of course- weren't that hard to her. She was after all a former apprentice to a **necromancer**, wasn't she?

* * *

It was later in the evening. Instead of being in the room, meant for **projecting projetions **in, Odale was just in the Great Hall, waiting for Septimus's **projection **to appear. It was storming outside. The rain was pouring down and thunder was heard in the distance. She wondered if somebody had noticed that there was a new decoration in the Tower, a tiny little vase with the inscription **noitcejorP A toN**. People could say what they wanted about her, but she did have a little humor. For the moment, Marcia was talking to the ordinary wizards. Something about that they shouldn't touch anything and that there would be no bets. If Odale ever became ExtraOrdinary Wizard- which she infact didn't want to- she wouldn't be like that. So what if they wanted to bet? It wasn't like they _destroyed _anything or made the apprentice nerveous. Right? Odale sighed. Marcia had begun the countdown to the **projection**. Odale glanced at her vase. Somebody should have noticed it. How didn't they notice a vase with the inscription **noitcejorP A toN**? Ever since she had been Marcia's apprentice, her opinion on ordinary wizards had changed. But, sometimes, she wondered if her former master- DomDaniel- had been right. Maybe ordinary wizards _were _talentless, poor excuses for wizards? No. But _some _were. And, why would they think that she had **projected** a _vase?_ They probably expected her to have **projected** something more advanced... like a big candle, or a door, or a window...  
"One..." Marcia said. Time to reveal the **projection**. Odale snapped her fingers and the vase- who were placed just by the door- grew two huge feet and jumped up to her. Marcia was watching the vase quite approvingly... until Odale snapped with her fingers one second time. The vase shrunk away to nothing, but the inscription grew bigger. She did a gesture with her indexfinger and the text flew around in circles until it was so fast that no one could tell what it read. Then, it dissolved in a purple cloud, that quickly faded away.  
"Odale," Marcia sighed, "That was a very unnecessary detail."  
Odale shrugged. She knew that Marcia didn't like it when **magyk **only was meant to show off.  
"So, where's Septimus's **projection**?" Odale wondered. Marcia turned around.  
"I don't see it..." she muttered, but then, the Great Hall was illuminated by lightning. The doors to the Tower had flown open. And there, Tertius Fume was. Odale glanced at Marcia. If _this_ was Septimus's **projection**, she was amazed. If not... She was horrified. This was _not _good. Not at all.

* * *

**(A/N That was the chapter, I hope that you enjoyed it! (This is so off story I can get, but it IS interesting. AND connected to the original series) Yesterday, I found a book of symbols (it's a great book. in english, it's called _Signs & Symbols_). I love symbols, but I often gets dissapointed with books about symbols because I don't think that it gives so much. But this book, however, was great. I discovered that lapiz lazuli, that is used quite everywhere in the Septimus Heap series, is a symbol for power, wisdom and inner strenght. Pyramids (like the Pyramid Librarey) is a symbol for enlightenment- often spiritual- and wisdom. Alchemy is not only some people wanting to make gold/stay young forever, it is also a way to spiritual enlightenment. The name Hotep Ra must come from the first wizard in Egyptian mythologi, Imhotep, and the sungod, Ra. Not to mention the name Marcia (warlike or daughter of Mars), Marcellus (warlike or son of Mars) and Septimus (which just means seventh son). I know that Angie said (on Ask Angie) that the name hadn't any meaning, it's just such a weird coincidence. However, that was just another thing I just had to get of my chest. I hope that I didn't scared you away with this. See you soon! I hope.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N To all you whom are reading... this is the foruth chapter. If any grammar is wrong, please tell me, or if you just want to comment a little on... well, something about the story, then please review. Thank you.)**

* * *

Chapter 4: The **Gathering**

* * *

"Is _this _a part of your **projection**?" Marcia wondered quietly to shook her head.  
"No..."  
Suddenly, Septimus swished down. He came over to Odale and Marcia, where they stood in the Great Hall.  
"Nice **projection**." he whispered to Odale.  
"It is _not_ my **projection**!" Odale almost snapped, "I think-"  
"Miss Overstrand," Tertius Fume said, and Odale looked up. But he had said it to Marcia. That was one of the annoying things with having the same lastname as someone, Odale had learnt. You never knew if someone meant you or the person with the same last name as you. It had to be really hard for Septimus... Fume continued: "Well? Won't you ask us to come inside?"  
"Come inside?" Marcia asked. Odale was puzzled. _Us?_  
"Yes." Fume smirked at Marcia, which made Odale annoyed. Very. Then, she understood what this all was about. The **gathering**. No. It was all about the **queste**, she knew it. It was only one **queste-stone **left. She had heard that. Either way she or Septimus would take the stone, or none of them would. It made her nerveous. Odale noted that also Marcia looked nerveous, which seemed to made Fume _happy_.  
"Very well..." Marcia sighed. She knew that denying the **gathering **entrance could have horrable consequences.  
"Well, _what?_" asked Fume, still smirking.  
"Odale, what is happening?" Septimus whispered.  
"Hush!" Odale hissed, "It's the **gathering**- not good."  
"Why?" Septimus wondered, "Is the Castle in trouble?"  
"No, we are."  
"What?"  
"It's all about the **queste**." Odale said, "I know it."  
"No!"  
"Yes! Septimus, you really should get out."  
"Why?"  
"Idiot!" Odale snapped, "So that you won't be **drawn**."  
"But you, then?"  
"Ugh, I'll do fine."  
"But if you'd get **drawn**..."  
"I won't be **drawn**." Odale said, "Hurry of, now."  
"No!"  
"Yes."  
"O-"  
"Ah, miss Laurine!" Fume's voice echoed in the Hall, and everyone went silent. People did _not _call her by that name. "Enjoying your time this far, are you?"  
"Infact I do, _Tertius Fume_." Odale said, snappishly. Fume gritted his teeth.  
"This far." he replied, then turned back to Marcia. "So..?"  
Marcia sighed, again. "I have already allowed the **gathering **to come inside."  
"Yes, you have." Tertius Fume said, cheerfully. Odale roled her eyes and did a grimace, almost causing Septimus to laugh.  
"You won't laugh for much longer, boy." Fume hissed at Septimus.  
"Do you threaten him?" Odale hissed back, "Because-"  
"_Odale!_" Marcia whispered in a warning tune, and Odale sighed.  
"Enough, now." Fume said, "May the ExtraOrdinary Wizard's thread in."  
Odale hurried to whisper something to Septimus, who nodded and they both went to the door. Beetle and Jenna was there. Odale had no idea about _why_ they were there, and she had to admit that she was not so happy over that they were there. Jenna opend her mouth to say something, but Odale put a finger to her mouth to tell her to be silent. Then she begun to count the ExtraOrdinary Wizards that came into the room. She was looking for two ones especially. One of them were, well, her old teacher, DomDaniel. The other one were Alther. Odale was, infact, a little bit scared of seeing DomDaniel. And she wondered what he would look like. A sceleton? A puddle of... something **darke**? Just his old self? It was hard to tell. In wich case, she would prefer not to see him...  
"Alther!" she heard Septimus whisper, and looked up, still counting. 774... Another ghost entered, which made it 775, including Marcia. No more ghost seemed to be about to **appear**. Odale sighed with relief, then she bent over to Septimus.  
"There's only 775 ones here!" she whispered eagerly. "Will you please tell Marcia that?"  
She watched as Septimus hurried of to Marcia. There was something else she needed to do.

* * *

Marcia herself was by the spiral-stairs. She felt a little dissapointed at both her apprentice for abandoning her at this moment, when she needed them the most. Not to mention Alther... There! She saw Septimus make his way towards her. But where was Odale?  
"Ah." Fume said, "I thing that I see the cause of the **gathering** coming towards us?"  
_What cause?_ Marcia wondered, but kept silent. She knew that she probably didn't want to know the answer.  
"Marcia," Septimus begged her, "Would you please come down here?"  
Without any doubt, Marcia **passed through** Fume's cloak and stood beside her apprentice.  
"Where have you _been?_" she asked, "And where is Odale?"  
"It's less important, now." he answered, "But, listen..."  
He whispered something to Marcia, who nodded. She smiled, but then shook her head.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yep." Odale said, "Onehundred and one procent."  
Marcia stopped herself from gasping outloud.  
"It's his ring, isn't it?" she asked, instead. Odale nodded.  
"I suppouse so." she replied, "What else would it be? I mena, you didn't find it after... the **placement**, did you?"  
Marcia shook her head. Odale felt... she didn't know what. Had Marcia really tought that everything was just alright when she didn't find the damn thing? It did sound a little stupid. Odale did not want to call Marcia stupid, but it did fit in there a little. Maybe.  
"But... he was just a pile of, well, nothing really." Septimus said, "How could the ring-"  
"Septimus, you are not taking it's powers seriousley." Odale replied, "I promise you, that ring can do anything."  
"Hmph." Marcia muttered.  
"No un-permitted communication!" Fume basically yelled.  
"So he's not here?" Marcia asked Odale one last time.  
"Marcia, do you really think that I would miss that bloody hat?" Odale answered, "It a freaking chimney!"  
Septimus snickered, and Marcia couldn't hide a smile.  
"I need no permition to talk to my apprentices." Marcia said to Fume.  
"You are very wrong, _miss _Overstrand." Fume hissed, "You are no longer the master of your domains- you only have as much to say as everyone else."  
"You say so?" Marcia wondered, raising one of her eyebrows.  
"Yes, according to the rules-" Fume begun, but Odale interupted him.  
"As far as I have heard, _madam_ Overstrand understands the rules perfectly well." she said, "It seems, to me, as though _you _don't."  
"What?"  
"The **gathering **is not complete." Marcia and Odale said in unison.  
"And it never will be." Odale added.  
"It sure is complete." Fume snapped.  
"It is?" Odale asked, "Then, riddle me this: where is DomDaniel?"  
Fume looked furious.  
"He's not here." Marcia said. "Therefore, the **gathering **is not complete. And it never will be."  
Then, she turned to the ExtraOrdinary Wizards. "It was very nice of you all to see you all, I am so sorry that you had to get here in this hideos weather for nothing."  
Mumbling, the crowd was just about to leave the Tower. Odale smiled relieved at Septimus. He wouldn't get **drawn **now. And, hopefully, he would never get **drawn**.

* * *

Merrin was outside the Wizard Tower, dressed in his new robes. He was holding an _urn_. An urn!This was _not_ what he had expected to do when Tertius Fume had asked if he wanted to have more to do with the **Darkening** of Septimus's fate. Septimus here and Septimus there. Never Merrin. Never ever Merrin. If he wouldn't have been holding the urn- wich was very heavy- Merrin would have kicked the ground. Sure, he liked Odale. She was his best- and only- friend, but he was so _tired _of hearing all about him all the time. _Sep and I, we... Oh, Septimus, he... By the way, Sep said... _All the time. It was _annoying_. Merrin's hateful thoughts were interupted. He knew that he would not be able to hold the urn for much longer. He could put it outside the Tower and wait... damn it! If Odale would see him with this, she would _understand _what Merrin was doing. She would not be happy. Not at all. Merrin realized that he just had to put it outside the Wizard Tower, and then walk of. He stumbled across the yard, towards the door to the Tower. He was just about to put it down, when he heard a voice, horrably familiar, say: "Get out of my way, _boy! _How many times have I told you that? Why can't you be like Laurine, and _do what I am telling you to do?_" Merrin stopped dead. This was his most horrable nightmare coming true. "I-I..." he stuttered, and hurried to put the urn down. Then, he got away from there as fast as he could. Odale would not be happy with this, she would most certainly not.

* * *

Odale had smiled while the ExtraOrdinary Wizard's moved across the Hall, towards the door. But now, that smile was gone. All hapiness had drained from her face, and now, she was shocked staring at two things in the Hall. Her old master, DomDaniel _and_ an urn. And not any old urn, the urn that all apprentice's would **draw **a stone out of, hoping that it would _not _send them out on the deadly **queste**. She swallowed.

* * *

The ghost of DomDaniel enjoyed being back at the Tower. And he most certainly enjoyed the effect that he had caused while entering it. Seeing the face of that hideous woman- whatever her name now was- was priceless. How _dared_ she to call herself ExtraOrdinary Wizard? And oh, there was his old apprentice, Laurine. He could see that things had worked out for her... There was Fume, and... there was that blonde boy with the dragon-ring. Where had he seen him before? His memory was _useless!_

* * *

"No!" Marcia cried, and Odale immediatley felt soory for her, "It can't be! I don't believe it. It's not _possible_."  
Fume was cheering. "Appereantly, miss Overstrand," he said, "It _is _possible."  
"It's okay, Marcia." Odale whispered, "It doesn't have to mean anything..."  
Marcia didn't listen. She was looking hatefully at the ghost who made his way towards them: DomDaniel. Odale saw it, too, and bared her teeth.  
"Isn't it Laurine Brooks?" DomDaniel wondered, smirking.  
"Odale Overstrand." Odale corrected him, "My name is _Odale_."  
DomDaniel snorted, and once again everything went all silent. Then, once again, Fume spoke: "The **gathering **is here to witness the apprentice **draw** a stone from the urn-"  
"Rubbish!" Marcia snapped, and Odale tapped her foot at the ground, annoyed. "I wouldn't call the **gathering **_rubbish_, miss Overstrand." Fume said. The crowd of ExtraOrdinary Wizards was mumbling approvingly.  
"You are missunderstanding me on purpose." Marcia replied, "I would _never_ call the **gathering **rubbish, but the thought that one of my apprentices... would even try to **draw** is riddiculos. As I thought you knew, mr. Fume, the apprentice will not **draw **a stone from the urn until the very last out of he or she's apprentice-ship. My apprentice's have barely begun their apprentice-ships to me..."  
Tertius Fume laughed. "Miss Overstrand, it is only tradition to let the apprentice wait until his or hers last year of their apprentice-ship. A **queste **can be demanded at any time."  
He raised his voice, and shouted the password to the Tower. Odale grimaced. Just like many others, she thought that it was horrably rude to shout the password to the door. But she almost laughed out loud when she saw Fume's reaction to the lonely urn at the stairs.  
"Wait a moment!" Odale shouted at him, "Your voice may be horrably loud, Fume, but I do think that we should let the _real _ExtraOrdinary Wizard's have their opinions said."  
Fume sighed loudly. "Very well," he said, turning to the **gathering**, "ExtraOrdinary Wizards, is it your wish that this apprentice draws a stone from the urn?" More than 750 ExtraOrdinary Wizards had _not _enjoyed beeing forced to go back to the Tower, throught the rain, for nothing. Ghosts did not like rain. Or, more likely, they did not like getting **passed through** by the rain. Therefore, a surprising majority did want Septimus and Odale to **draw **a stone from the urn. Only the ones who had lost their apprentice's to the **queste**, plus Alther and Marcia, did _not _want them to **draw** a stone from the urn.  
"No." Odale said, her voice was cold as ice. "Septimus won't do it."  
Fume looked furious. "Yes, he will."  
Odale cleared her throat. "ExtraOrdinary Wizards- as I think you all know- there is only _one _**questingstone **left in the urn. Don't you think it would be unnecessary if _both _Septimus and I would try and **draw **it?"  
The majority did- infact- think almost just as she did. Odale smiled to herself. Now, it felt a little bit better.  
"Then, who'd be the one who should **draw**?" Fume snapped.  
"Me." Odale said.  
"Odale, no!" Septimus protested, "I'll do it."  
"No, _I _will, Septimus." Odale replied, "I have been training for this since I was I don't know how old... you should stay here. With Marcia."  
"It is not up to you to say, miss Laurine." Fume said, "It is up to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard's."  
Odale sighed. "Then let them _vote_."

* * *

**(A/N That was it. It was an especially long chapter, wasn't it? However, goodbye! Klartslut varulvstjut!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N Ok, this chapter is messy, but I hope that you guys (if you're alive somewhere out there) can forgive me.)**

* * *

Chapter 5: Drawn?

* * *

There were seventeen wizards who actually wanted Odale to **draw**. The rest voted for Septimus. Among those who voted for Odale were DomDaniel and Alther; the only reason why Alther voted for Odale was because he knew she would want that. Marcia was not sure. But, she knew that the one who'd be **drawn **would not return and most certainly die. She couldn't sentence her own niece to death. Odale was, probably, the only living relative she had left. So, Marcia had voted for Septimus to be **drawn**. She ignored the angry glare Odale sent her.  
"Now, now." Tertius seemed pleased, "It's time to **draw**, boy."  
Septimus started to make his way towards the urn. Odale wanted to protest, but she knew that she couldn't. She was close to tears. Her old mentor, a certain DomDaniel noticed this, and felt pleased.  
"Apprentice," Odale heard someone say, faintly, and she looked up, "I fear you will not be able to escape your Queste. But heed this-"  
"You're lucky." a voice hissed, and Odale jumped. "You're lucky that it's not you who shall **draw**. Your luck is starting to wear of."  
"Shut up." Odale replied. DomDaniel chuckled at this.  
"Such manners!" he said, smirking, "You never acted like this when you were _my _apprentice."  
"Are _dead_ people really suppoused to care so much about Livings manners?" this was probably the worst comeback she ever had made, and Odale was aware of this. But she started grinning when DomDaniel stopped.  
"You won't be smirking for so long, _Laurine_." he said, and suddenly dissapeard. Odale hissed something very rude after him, but then returned her attention to Septimus. What was he _doing? _Why didn't he just _do it_, and get it over? A sting of guilt shot through her mind. She'd probably would have done the same. Odale glanced at the pictures on the walls. They were now reflecting other apprentices Drawings. One especially brave girl and attempted to punch Fume in the face. Odale smiled faintly to herself. She would have liked to meet that girl, and shake hands with her. She would have loved to.  
"Cheat!" Fume yelled, and looked up. What the _heck _was he up to now? Yes, she could see it now. He- Septimus- was trying to See inside the Urn. Odale groaned lowly to herself. How stupid of him! Why not just **Draw** and get it over?  
"I'm _not _a cheat." Septimus said. His voice echoed in the silent Hall. "_I _didn't put that **thing**, ready to pull the **Queste **Stone into my hand,in the Urn."  
"_Draw_."  
"No!"  
"You shall **Draw**, and you shall do it now."  
"He shall not." Marcia said.  
"Do you... do you _refuse _to follow the rules?" Tertius Fume hissed. _Stupid, stupid, stupid Marcia_, Odale thought, _this will have consequences_. But she couldn't help, but admire the bravery. Marcia was brave, she was...  
"If that's what it takes, so be it." Marcia replied, calmly.  
"Then," Fume spat, "Then I'll have to... to... _put the Wizard Tower under Siege!_"  
It had appereantly taken him some time to make up a good threat.  
"You wouldn't dare to!" Odale said, "You _coward!_"  
These word had had a negative effect.  
"Yes, I do _dare_." Fume snapped, then turned to Septimus. "Boy, you have _one _last chance..."  
"_No_," Marcia said, "Don't do it."  
"I won't." Septimus replied, loudly, to Fume.  
"You give me no choice." Fume hissed, and started chanting, furiously.  
"Get out of here, Septimus." Marcia whispered, "Quickly. Take Odale with you."  
"But-"  
"I'll find you. Now _go_."

* * *

And so did Septimus. He made his way to Odale, and grabbed her wrist.  
"What?" she wondered.  
"We have to get out." he said.  
"How?"  
"The Ice Tunnels."  
"No!" Odale protested, "Why?"  
"Marcia said it." Septimus said, "C'mon now!"  
Odale sighed, and tried to catch a glimpse of Marcia in the sea of purple. It was impossible. Septimus dragged her with him. They made their way to the cupboard. Odale didn't know how many ghost she accidently **Passed Through**, but it was quite a few. They reached the Ordinary Wizards, who helped them into the cupboard. Odale still had no idea about where Jenna, Ullr and Beetle had came from, but they erupted from the masses of purple and blue. Everything that happend after that she came into the tiny cupboard... it was all a mess afterwards, when she tried to remind herself of it later on. Everything she knew was that she basically got pushed down into the Tunnels. It was freezing cold down there. But, after all, it was made of ice. Odale didn't like the Ice Tunnels. There were something about them. Something creepy. Soon, she wasn't the only one down there. Septimus was there, and Jenna and Beetle. And Ullr. The door back to the Tower slammed shut, and Odale heard that it was Barred. She groaned. She wanted to go _back_. There were something welcoming about snow, thoug. Something that said 'home'.  
"Are you alright?" Septimus asked her. He looked worried. "You're looking faint."  
"I'm fine." Odale answered, realizing that she infact did feel faint. Everything was just happening so _quickly_.  
"Are you sure?" Septimus wondered. Odale laughed lightly.  
"Yes." she said. Suddenly, Jenna acknowledged her existence.  
"Sep," she cleared her throat, "One of the Ordinary Wizards- Hildegarde, I think- wanted to give you this... SafeCharm."  
She held out a little stone-looking object. Odale and Septimus gasped outloud at the same time.  
"T-that is _not _a SafetyCharm, Jen-" Odale stuttered, but Septimus were already trying to reach it. She suddenly forgot how faint she actualy felt, and she was set into Laurine-mode. She tackled Septimus to the floor, violently pushed his arms behind his back and reached for the Stone herself.  
"Jen, take it!" Septimus gasped, and shuffed Odale of himself.  
"No, Jenna," Odale begged, "Don't!"  
"Why are you trying to get it, Odale?" Septimus wondered.  
"Well, somebody has to." Odale snapped, "And it ain't going to be you."  
"You wouldn't make it, Odale."  
"Nor would you." Odale hissed between gritted teeth. Shee reached out for the Stone, but so did Septimus. Nobody could tell who reached it first. Odale bared her teeth, again, and snatched it from Septimus's hands. "Fool!" she said, "Look, what you've done now."  
"_They wanted me_ to Draw it." Septimus replied, "There's a reason for that."  
"Yeah, there is." Odale snapped, "The reason is that you _probably _wouldn't make it."  
"Take that back!" Septimus yelled.  
"It's true-"  
"Hey!" Beetle said. Which was good he did, Septimus and Odale woul have torn eachother apart he he wouldn't have, "What's going on?"  
Odale sighed. "The Queste." she said.  
"What's that?" Jenna asked. Odale groaned.  
"It's an horrable thing." she answered, "You see-"  
"Let's take that later." Septimus said, "We have to get away from here."  
"Good idea." Odale replied, "But how? Are we just going to _walk?_"  
Septimus supressed a smirk. "We're going by sled." he said.  
_Sled_, Odale thought, _sounds... nice_.

There was that feeling again. Hadn't her mother mentioned sleds once? Right. That was how they traveled in the Easter Snowplains, mainly. What had her mother said? Yes, they went by horse, sled and boat. Something had been bothering Odale lately. And that was the fact that she weren't from the Castle _at all_. She grew up there, but both of her parents came from the Eastern Snowplains. Both sides had been living in the Eastern Snowplains as far as anyone could remember. That had caused a new kind of feeling grow inside of her; _jealosy_. She was jealous of Septimus, and Jenna, and Beetle and most of the Ordinary Wizards and who knew how many people. They were actually from the Castle. She was not. She was an outsider. Back when she was younger, when she had been apprentice to DomDaniel and had not known who she was, she had never been bothered by these thoughts. She hadn't wasted any time on thinking about who she actually was, where she came from, _who _she came from... it had all begun when it turned out that she actually had living relatives. She had asked Marcia a little, but Marcia didn't seem to like sharing her information. Nor did Cashmére. Odale had asked some about her grandparents, but Cashmére had only hummed something about that they had been salesmen- both of them- and that she (Cashmére) just had 'bumped into' her father once in the Castle, and they had fallen in love. Marcia had been worse. Odale had asked about Marcia's parents (which made them her grandparents) and Marcia had said something about that she 'didn't remembervery well'. Then Odale had asked if they died when Marcia was a little girl, but then Marcia had laughed, and said that they hadn't. They had died when she was in her twenties. Odale knew that Marcia had turned into EOW when she had been twentysix, so she asked if they had seen her becom EOW. Marcia had gotten upset, and said to Odale that they would talk about it some other day. That 'other day' never came.

Fifteen minutes later, Odale found herself sitting on a sled. There were barely room for everyone- there were absolutley no rome for Ullr, so he had to run behind the sled- and Odale sat behind Jenna. Odale grasped the QuesteStone firmly in her hands. It felt cold. She tried to recall that rhyme about it. _Blue to get ready, green to go_. No, she was getting it all wrong, she was sure of it. She knew then end of it, at least. _Now seek black, there's no going back_. Arhg, why couldn't she remember it? She was sure it was important. She let out a sigh. Then a moan when she heard the boys argue in front of her.  
"You're like a bear with a sore head." Odale heard Septimus say.  
"Well, maybe it's because you're crawling along like a little old lady pushing a shopping trolley." Beetle snapped.  
"I am _not_." Septimus growled, "Shut up, Beetle."  
"Go easy, Sep." said Jenna, "Beetle's really upset. Jillie Djinn sacked him this afternoon."  
"Oh no!" all Odale's attempts to stay out of the conversation vanished at once, then she said something very insulting about miss Djinn.  
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Septimus asked. Beetle shrugged.  
"Let's not talk about it." Odale replied, "I'm sure Beetle don't want to."  
Beetle felt very grateful to her for saying this, and after that, no one said a thing.

Half an hour after that, Epiniah Grebe recieved vistiors. He enjoyed seeing Beetle and the Princess, and he had wanted to see Septimus for a long, long time. But he was unsure of Odale. Years earlier, they had met. DomDaniel had sent her to the Manuscriptorium to make Epiniah **ReUnite** fragments of a **Darke **book. Epiniah had almost refused, but Odale had threatened him. She had said that if e didn't, she did know quite a few methods of torture. The panther that Jenna brought were also a rather nasty surprise. Odale had, however, realized that Epiniah was scared of Ullr. So, she led him out of the room. Odale had never liked cats. Nor any other cat-like animals. Not really. She forced herself to pat it's big, furry head.  
"Good... boy." she said, while they were waiting outside. Waiting for Septimus, Jenna and Beetle to come back with that _blasted_ map. Ugh. If Nicko was gone, he was gone. She did still have a hard time believing that people could travel back and forth in time. It was against everything she believed in. She sighed. She would have to wait for a long, long time.


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N Chapter seven, in which Odale discovers something (or someone?) from her past xD. Now, I give you the next chapter *mentally hands over chapter to you*. Oh, and I thought that I should mention that I don't _own _Septimus Heap. Just my own character (which, for an example are Odale, Cashmére, Zamir, Joseph, Rodrian, Maximilian, Lorea, etc). A/N Ends.)**

* * *

Chapter 7: The EvilEye

* * *

The other's came back soon enough. They seemed to be a little less happy than before.  
"So?" Odale wondered, "How did it go?"  
Jenna sighed. "Well," she said, "It worked."  
"But?"  
"There's a huge _hole _in the middle." Septimus said. Jenna shot him an angry glare.  
"I'm sure it wasn't that important." Jenna replied. She wanted to look at it from the bright side.  
"It _probably _was quite important." Odale, who was not as optimistic as Jenna, sighed.  
"Just what I said!" Septimus said. Odale sighed. She was a bit annoyed with him. He seemed to notice this, and went silent. But then, he opend his mouth again: "The Queste Stone..."  
"Forget it." Odale snapped, "Why would _you_ want it, anyways?"  
"I was the one who was suppoused to Draw." Septimus said.  
"It didn't seem as though you wanted it while you tried to _cheat_."  
"I did _not _cheat!" Septimus protested, "Fume was cheating!"  
"Yeah?" Odale had already forgot what Septimus had said to fume, almot an hour ago.  
"He put a **thing **in the urn." Septimus replied.  
"How do you know?"  
"I _saw _it, Odale." Septimus almost yelled.  
"I believe you, Sep." Odale said, in a calming tune. "It doesn't matter, anyways. We don't even know who's Queste it is."  
"It's _my _Queste, Odale." Septimus protested, "The ExtraOrdinaries..."  
"Yeah, they _wanted _you to be the one, _but _it's the one who accept it's who gets the Queste."  
"I took it first."  
"No, _I _did."  
"I was the one who took it!"  
"Sep, it was me."  
"No!"  
"I snatched it from you, anyways." Odale said, "And _I'm _the one who's holding it."  
"B-" Septimus started, but then he started laughing.  
"What's so funny?" Odale asked.  
"We're probably the first ones to fight over the Questing Stone!" Septimus answered, and Odale were forced to supress a smile.  
"It's not funny." she said.

* * *

They- Septimus, Odale, Jenna and Beetle- slept in a storeroom close to Epiniah's domaine. As always, Odale was nerveous while she slept around other people. There were two reasons to this; she was either way afraid that they'd kill her in her sleep, or she was afraid that she would wake them up. Odale _always _had nightmares, and very often she awoke screaming.  
"Jenna," she said, "Maybe somebody should guard the entrance..."  
Jenna shook her head. "Why?" she asked.  
"Well, you never know." Odale answered, "Somebody might be after us. But I could guard it."  
"I don't think it's needed." Jenna said.  
"I do." Odale replied. "And, after all, I was DomDaniel's apprentice for ten years. I learnt a lot of stuff meanwhile."  
"Yeah, like paranoya." Septimus said.  
"Oh, so the Young Army was so much better?" Odale snapped.  
"I learnt _good _things that I have use for, yes." Septimus replied, equally snappish.  
"Sep, you learnt _nothing _of importance." Odale said, "Please, the Young Army were _nothing_. They were just used to ridicule the wizards."  
"No..."  
"No?" Odale laughed, "What were they used as, then?"  
"We... were suppoused... to... to..."  
"How comes it that I remember _exactley _what I were doing, while you don't remember a jot?"  
"What did _you _do, then?" Septimus asked.  
"Are you really sure you want to know?" Odale wondered, her voice drained with... something that did sound a whole lot like anger.  
"I wouldn't have asked otherwise, would I?" Septimus snapped, sounding very alike Odale.  
"I killed people." Odale replied, instead of snapping back. "Okay? I killed people."  
She had never really admitted that to Septimus. He maybe knew- Odale wasn't sure if he knew or not- that she had killed some, but she had never actually said it outloud to him. Everyone went silent when Odale said that. It wasn't that shocking that, really, but it felt weird to hear anyone admit it just like that. Odale bit her lip- it felt as though she shouldn't have said that. But she didn't want to continude on with the conversation, so she settled down in a corner. She leant against the wall, and closed her eyes. "Have it your way, then." she muttered, "No guards."

* * *

Odale didn't sleep well that night. At first, there was the **Queste** that bothered her, and then there were the murders. Usually, she could pretend it never happened, but now and then there were days when she felt really _bad _about things she had done in the past. Not just killing people, but- back when she was DomDaniel's apprentice- wanting to kill Marcia, and she also felt really bad over how she had treated Merrin. Poor Merrin. She wondered a bit about what he was doing, and if he was okay. Odale wished she had asked him where he was staying. If he now had somewhere. And the Wizard Tower; who knew what was happening in there. Odale groaned. She shouldn't be thinking about these things when she was trying to sleep. She _shouldn't_. Wishing she had more space, she roled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She didn't only want more space; she wished that she could get up and walk back and forth a bit. Walking back and forth was one of her habits. Originally, she had just went down to the sixth floor, but ever since she had got turned into a wolf that one time, the thought of the damp rooms were very unattractive. After what seemed as hours, Odale decided to stop trying to sleep, and instead she decided to wait for the others to wake up. But, even though she now actually was trying to stay awake, she fell asleep.

* * *

Epiniah awoke them in the morning. Odale wanted to leave right away, but Epiniah had offered to give them breakfast, and the others insisted in staying. They ate their breakfast, rather quickly, but not very lively. When they were just about to go, Epiniah stopped them. He picked up paper and a pen, and wrote: _**The journey to the Low Countries is long and rather dangerous. But there's another, less dangerous way that I think you would prefer. **_

Odale almost sighed. She just wanted to get away from the rat-man. He brought back horrable memories to her.  
"What way?" Septimus asked. Epiniah continude to write;

_**In the Forest, there are ancient ways which leads to the place you seek. You should ask Morwenna, she knows. I can help you there by the charcoal burners' gulleys.**_

"Hmph." said Odale. She _really _started to dislike this. She didn't like the Wendrom Witches at all. That probably had something to do with her contact to the Port Witches.  
"It sounds good to me." Jenna replied, "What do you others think?"  
Odale wrinkled her nose. "I don't like it at all." she said, "The Wendrom Witches are not trustable."  
"I think they might be." Septimus replied. "At least they were last time I asked them for help."  
"You _think_." said Odale, "You _think _they might be."  
"Yes, I do."  
"But you don't know witches. Witches aren't all that reliable."  
"Your mother's a witch."  
"Do you see my point?"  
"Odale we _are _going to the Forest." Jenna said, "I understand that you don't trust them, but, _please_, this is about mine and Sep's brother."  
Odale sighed. "Fine." she snapped, "But if something goes wrong, _don't _blame me."

* * *

So, against Odale's wishes, they went to the Wendrom Witches. It took a while, but eventually they arrived there, near the dawn. They were actually rather well welcomed, which had surprised Odale a bit. Her mother had after all left the coven to move into the Castle. A very rude thing to do, in a witch's eye. However, the group was welcome to join the Witches' Summer Circle. Whilst Epiniah was having his foot- he had hurt it while they were getting to the Forest- by Morwenna, Septimus and Beetle were chatting with the younger witches. Septimus even had braids with bead on them in his hair- which Odale disliked. Odale herself was also talking to some witches, but some of the older ones. They talked about both Odale's mother, and then a little about **Darke**. Jenna was sitting alone by the camp fire. Suddenly, something catched Odale's gaze. She had been on her guard ever since she had overheard Epiniah and Morwenna talk about showing Septimus, Jenna, Beetle and her the Forest Way. Epiniah had promised that he had been willing to pay any prize and Morwenna had agreed, but she hadn't said _what _the prize was. Odale had just been about to go over to Septimus, who seemed to be enjoying his time _too _well, when she saw two witches push a boy, about Odale's age into a tent. The tent did not look very inviting, and from what Odale had seen, the boy did not seem very happy. She excused herself, and thanked the witch who had braided a few feather's into her hair, and went of to check what was happening. Odale sneaked up behind the tent, and listened to the witches in there: "We don't _want _your kind here, boy." one of the witches hissed, "We know what you can do."  
"I-"  
"Don't try to get yourself out of this!" another witch hissed, "We _see _the eyepatch."  
Eyepatch? It _couldn't _be _that _boy with the eyepatch, could it? She desperately wanted to see that boy, to be sure- absolutley sure- that it wasn't _him_. At the same time, she couldn't just walk into the tent like that, could she? If it was the one she thought, she definitely could- and should, not to mention. Odale stepped into the tent. Infront of her stood two angry-looking witches. A look of shock flew across their faces, but then the one to the right bared her teeth.  
"Get _out _of here, apprentice-girl." she hissed. Odale didn't reply. Her gaze couldn't let go of the boy laying at the ground's. His long, black hair was put up in a ponytail. His whole body was bruised and scarred, and the black tunic he wore were all tattered. The eye he had, which was not covered with an eyepatch, were staring back at her. He looked shocked.  
"_Laurine?_"  
"Zamir!" Odale exclaimed, "Oh... _oh._"  
"Do you know him, apprentice-girl?" the witch to the left asked. Odale bit her lip.  
"Yes... I do." she answered.  
"Then explain to me why he is here!" the first witch yelled.  
"I don't know!" Odale snapped, "Maybe because he was _dragged _into this tent, and yelled at by two crazy witches?"  
"People with the EvilEye are not welcome here." the other said coldly.  
"_What's _all this yelling about?" Morwenna asked, as she emerged into the tent.  
"That... _boy _has the EvilEye, mother." said a witch. She and the other witch were twins, and Odale could not tell them apart, except for that one stood to the right and one to the left.  
"Oh." said Morwenna.  
"Morw... I meant witch-mother, I _promise _to get him out of here as soon as I can but-"  
Morwenna raised her hand to silence Odale. "If he is your friend, he is our guest." she replied. Odale didn't understand her reasons, but she didn't protest. "We'll leave you both now." Morwenna continude. She signed to the twin-witches to follow. The twins looked very reluctant, but they did not dare to ignore the witch-mother. When they had left, Odale was left alone with the boy.  
"Zamir?"  
"Yeah?"  
"_What _are you _doing _here? And _where _have you _been_?" Odale asked. Zamir looked down.  
"I'm sorry, Lau, I wanted to tell you, but-"  
"I suppoused you were dad, Zam."  
"Sorry."  
"Sorry? _Sorry?_" Odale said, "If you wouldn't been so beaten up, I'd punch you _so _hard. Then, you'd be sorry."  
"So, not much's changed, then?" he asked. Odale snorted.  
"Wait 'til I get started."  
"Hey, you're not wearing the belt." Zamir said.  
"Exactley." Odale replied.  
"And _what _do you mean by that?" asked Zamir. Odale sighed, and told him her story. From the point where DomDaniel had sent her out to track Jenna down, until the very moment they were in. It took about half an hour.

* * *

Septimus had just started wondering about where Odale were, when she emerged from a tent. With her, Septimus's jaw almost dropped at that, came a boy. He was tall, about six inches higher than Odale, and thin. His hair was long and black, and his skin was tan. He was all bruised, but apart from that, he looked rather good. Apart from the eyepatch. The boy and Odale were talking eagerly. Odale waved at Septimus, then said something to the boy. He grinned, and looked at Septimus, he too. That gave Septimus a bit of an uneasy feeling. He went up to Odale and the boy.  
"Hello, Odale." he said.  
"Hi, Sep." something in her voice told him that she still was angry with him. "  
"Who's your... friend?"  
"Ah, that is Zamir." Odale said, "He's a... friend of mine."  
"Whoa, I just got upgraded!" Zamir said, causing Odale to giggle. She elbowed him.  
"Watch it." she replied. "However, Zamir, that is Septimus. As I told you."  
"And what is Zamir doing here?" Septimus wondered.  
"I was just, y'know, wandering around. I accidently stepped into the witches place, which made them slightly angry with me, and, y'know." Zamir, Septimus thought, was being very unclear with what he meant. And Septimus suppoused that it was intentional.  
"I... see."  
"You're right, he _is _a bit of a weirdo." Zamir said.  
"Zami!" Odale exclaimed, and swatted the boy. "I was just joking."  
"Hmmph." Zamir and Septimus said. Septimus walked of, leaving Odale not knowing wheter she was suppoused to run after him and say that she was sorry, or stay with Zamir. She stayed with Zamir. They had so much to talk about. But first, she wanted to introduce him to Jenna.

* * *

Jenna was looking shocked at Odale when Odale and Zamir settled down beside her.  
"Hi, Jen!" Odale said, "Er, this is my-"  
"Friend." Zamir cut in with a smirk.  
"Yes, friend." Odale continude, seind Zamir a glare, "So, Jenna, this is Zamir and Zamir, this is Jenna."  
"Pleasure to meet you, Jenna." Zamir said.  
"Oh, hm, thanks." Jenna replied, "Zamir."  
Then a little shyly, she added; "What is he doing here?"  
"I just happened to pass my and some crazy witch grabbed me." Zamir said, as though being grabbed by crazy witches was to him an everyday situation. "But, fortunately, Lau _saved _me."  
"Lau?"  
"Odale." Zamir corrected himself, "Sorry."  
"Lau, as in short for Laurine?" Jenna asked, "Did you know eachother back when Odale-"  
"Yep." Zamir said, "We were the best spy-team there were, weren't we?"  
"Zami, we don't speak of that." Odale replied, "But, yes, Jenna. We knew eachother back then."  
"Why don't we speak of that?" Zamir asked. Odale blushed.  
"Because-"  
"Were you an apprentice to DomDaniel, too?" Jenna asked.  
"No." Zamir said.  
"But you worked for him?"  
"Actually, he worked for me."  
"For _you_, Odale?" Jenna was getting more and more shocked by the moment.  
"I hired him." Odale shrugged, "Or, DomDaniel made me the first time, but all after that, it was on my behalf."  
"Hired him for what?"  
"What do you think?" Odale asked, "Helping me to spy, of course."  
Zamir looked down, and smiled. "I still don't see why."  
"Because you're a good spy, you nut." Odale snapped. That ended the conversation.

* * *

Finally, it became night and time to go to sleep. Jenna, Beetle, Septimus, Odale and Zamir slept in the guest tepee. They all slept on goat-furs. Both Beetle and Septimus had been reluctant to sleep anywhere near Zamir, but Odale had assured them that Zamir wouldn't hurt them. She and Zamir was sleeping back-to-back just by the entrance to the tepee. They were **MindTalking** for a while. **MindTalking **is something **Darke **Wizards who know eachother well enough can do. Even though she wasn't using all that much **Darke **anymore, Odale still had the ability to **Talk **to Zamir. They were discussing a very important matter; Zamir's EvilEye. Now, Zamir was one of these very few wizards', who at birth is cursed with the EvilEye. That he had the EvilEye mean that whenever he got mad or angry or just jealous and looked at somebody, bad things could happen to that person. It could either be just that that person hit his or hers foot, or something like that. Or, if the person were unlucky, the person could actually die. That was why Zamir was wearing his eyepatch. His eyepatch was **blessed**, and therefore the curse could not hit any other person, if he didn't take it of. Which he rarely did. Despite the fact that he had been a spy, just like Odale, and that he was a darke wizard, Zamir didn't want to cause any more harm than neccesarily. He and Odale was, by the way, not only **Talking **about his EvilEye, but also about where he would go. Zamir wanted, he really wanted, to follow Odale to her Queste, but Odale wouldn't allow it.

"_It's dangerous."_ she **said** to him.

"_I don't actually care." _he **replied**. He could almost feel her roling her eyes. _"Plus," _he **said**, _"I don't have anywhere to go_._"_

"_I told you, Zamir, you can stay with my mother." _

"_What if she'd refuse?"_

"_She won't." _

"_Lau-"  
"A, it's Odale, B, Zamir, please..."_

"_Fine. I'll go to your mother." _he **said**. Odale turned around, and gave him a note that she had written to her mother.  
"Just give it to her." she said, "She'll understand."  
And then, they feel asleep.

* * *

**(A/N So, that was the chapter. I will explain Zamir more to you, guys. Soon. Oh, and speaking of; his name means 'friend' or 'collegue', which was _not _intended. Actually. He just felt like a Zamir to me.)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7: The Escape

* * *

"Odale! Odale wake up!" Septimus shook her lightly, "We got to get out of here!"  
"Hrmr." Odale mumbled, "What time is it?"  
"I don't know." Septimus answered, "But we still have to get out of here."  
"Why?"  
"I'll explain later." Septimus said. Odale sighed. She suddenly realized that somebody laid just beside her- _Zamir_. She had almost forgotten him.  
"Zam," said Odale, "Get up."  
Zamir had absolutley no promblem in waking up. He rose up and flexed his hands.  
"What's happening?" he asked.  
"Accoring to Sep... timus, we got to get out of here." Odale answered.  
"Huh."  
"_Zam_."  
"What?" asked Zamir. Odale roled her eyes.

* * *

Septimus showed them to the Heap Brothers' camp. Or, well, he led them to Sam who showed them to the Heap Brothers' camp. When they came there, Jo-Jo was furious on Sam for not bringing Marissa with him. Sam handed the torch to Jo-Jo and said that Jo-Jo could fetch Marissa _on his own_. And so, Jo-Jo dissapeard. Sam made them- Septimus, Jenna, Beetle, Odale and Zamir settle down by the campfire.  
"Now," said Odale, "I'd like to know _why _you dragged us away from the witches camp, Septimus?"  
Septimus sighed. "I overheard the witches talk about something... about Jenna. And, in a way, you."  
"Huh?"  
"The witches said what they were going to make Epiniah pay for getting Morwenna to show us the Forest Way."  
"What were they going to make him pay?"  
"Well," Septimus said, "They put it like they were going to make him pay with Jenna. In order to get Ullr."  
"You can't _give _a human away like that, Sep." Jenna replied, "Don't make yourself looks stupid."  
"Witches have other rules." Zamir said, "They're not like the people in the Castle."  
"However," Odale added, curious about what the witches wanted with herself, "Where did I fit in?"  
"They said something about... about you being some kind of heir."  
"Heir?" Odale looked puzzled, "Heir to _what?_"  
"No, not like that kind of heir, they put it like it was some kind of own word... what did they say now?" Septimus tried hard to remember whatever it was the witches had called Odale... "Heiress!" he finally said, "They said you were some kind of heiress."  
"Heiress, like in the Eastern Snowplains?" Odale snorted, "Yeah, sure."  
"What's an heiress?" Jenna asked.  
"An heiress... is like..." Odale bit her lip, "It's the person who's about to be Empress, in the Eastern Snowplains. Mother told me that."  
"Maybe because you are one?"  
"No!" Odale said, "Mother told me that we... our family were some kind of rich, traveler family. Not like royality or nobility, or something."  
"What if she lied?" Zamir asked.  
"I guess she could have lied," Odale answered doubtfully, "But-"  
She was interupted by a screech and a leopard who ran across the camp, to the other side.  
"What got into him?" Sam asked. The answer of that question soon emerged out of the Forest; Marissa, holding Jo-Jo's hand tightly, came in sight. When she saw the group who had departed from the Wendroms' camp, she stopped and glared at them. Odale felt especially irritated. She just didn't like Marissa. It was not that Marissa was a Wendrom Witch; it was just her whole... well, aura.

"_Oh, look Zamir, it's a parrot." _she **said**, acknowledging Marissa's cloak with lots and lots of feathers' sewn onto it. Zamir supressed a smile and swatted Odale on the elbow, very quietly.

"_Be nice."_

Odale roled her eyes. Jo-Jo made his way towards the campfire, sat down and took Marissa with him. Marissa was fussing with her, as Odale put it, _silly _cloak.  
"What are _you _doing here?" Marissa hissed, angrily. "You're the Witch Mother's guests."  
"So?"Odale snapped.  
"You can't just leave like that. Nobody does that."  
"We just did."  
Marissa pursed her lips. She was all silent, and stared into the fire. Jo-Jo offered her some fish, but she refused.  
"I should go back." she said.  
"How _sad_." Odale replied.

"_Don't start." _she heard Zamir **say**, but she ignored him.

"Is your mother sleeping well nowadays?" said Marissa. Her face had turned slightly red. "Not _screaming _in her sleep anymore, is she?"  
"I-"  
"Oh, you didn't know?" Marissa asked. "Well, she was a real pain in the neck while she was living here."  
Odale rose up. "Excuse me?" she bared her teeth. At some times, Odale was very wolf-like. This was one of these times.  
"Some nights, I didn't even get any sleep." Marissa continude, even though she was a little bit afraid of the wolf-like girl. "She was screaming so loudly; like, _no, no don't hurt them_."  
Odale had not known her mother had nightmares. That Marissa had made fun of it did not make Odale feel any better.  
"If you don't stop talking about my mother like that, you'll be having nightmares, too." Odale snapped. "So watch it."  
"Oh, I'm _so _scared."  
"You _should _be." Odale said.  
"Hmmph." Marissa turned around, and walked away. Odale sat down again.

* * *

It finally became time to go to bed. Odale was, for once, really tired. It was so much going around in her mind, it became exhausting. So she curled up into a tiny ball in the Wolf Boys' old bender, and fell asleep.

Sam awoke them in the morning. They had to get away before the Witches came Looking for them; otherwise, it probably would turn out ugly. They were given three backpacks, which had belonged to Jo-Jo, Eric and Edd. Sam, in contrast to his brothers, still liked wandering around in the Forest, and would prefer not to give his backpack up. He had made a good job in packing down things he thought the travellers maybe would need.

* * *

"Zamir." Odale said, shaking the sleeping boy, "Zamir!"  
"Yeah?" Zamir sat up, and rubbed his eye which was not covered with an eyepatch sleepily.  
"I'm going now." she picked out some leafs from her own hair, "And you should probably do the same."  
"Mmm."  
"And you better stay with my mother, you complete idiot, because if I discover you haven't, you're _so _done." Odale said, "Understood."  
"Sure, _mama_." Zamir replied, in a taunting, yet joking, tune. Odale grimaced, and he grinned.  
"Whatever." she rose up. "See ya!"  
Zamir sighed when she had left. He didn't like to leave her alone.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Jenna, Beetle, Septimus and Odale were out in the Forest with Sam. As far as Odale had understood, Sam was going to show them to... wherever they were going. To be honest, she hadn't paid that much attention. She had been too excited about that Zamir actually was alive. It was like he had came back from the dead.

* * *

Zamir felt lazy, so he **transported **into the Castle. He read Odale's mother's address again; The Little Green Door, Back-and-Forth-Alley, the Ramblings. Appereantly, they had changed back from numbers to the way more cozy names.

Cozy or not, it was still hard to find. It took him a while to find, but, he thought afterwards, it was worth it.

* * *

Cashmére, that was the name of Odale's mother, had opend the door to him. She had looked a bit suspicious at first, but then he had handed her the note, and she had softened up.  
"I actually _was _worried about her lack of friends." she had said to him, while giving him a bowl of soup. "I mean, she of course is with Septimus, but then she is with the Merrin-boy. And I don't like _him_."  
"The Merrin-boy?"  
"Yes, some pale boy she's with sometimes. He kind of annoys me."  
"With 'the Merrin-boy', do you mean Septimus?"  
"No, I mean that-"  
"I mean, _fake-_Septimus?"  
"Ah, yes, Odale said once that he had been believed to be Septimus, so..."  
"Wait..." Zamir was trying to put all the facts together. A boy believed to be Septimus... that had to be the Cricket! Cricket was what Zamir had called the Septimus he had known- the one who had been apprenticed to DomDaniel. "Is she hanging around _the Cricket?_"  
Cashmére let out a laugh. "The Cricket?"  
"I meant Merrin." Zamir corected himself. "I mean, really?"  
"Why, would she not?"  
"She didn't like him before." Zamir sighed, and Cashmére pursed her lips.

* * *

To her own big surprise, Odale didn't feel especially cold. Sam had lead them to a place, then he had opend some kind of portal-thing through which they had went to where they were now. "Where" was a snowy field. Septimus kept on saying that they were in the right place, because they had found some kinf of packinglist, in which Nicko (or Snorri?) had written that they were going to bring some things that appereantly was meant to be used somewhere Cold. Odale wans't so sure. Yet, she didn't argue.

Odale picked up a piece of snow, and held it in her bare palm. Nothing. It felt a little bit chilly, but that was all. It _should _be freezing. Odale pulled it to her forehead. It gave the same feeling. How odd. Was there something with the snow? Probably not, as Jenna looked at her as though she was crazy.  
"Aren't you feeling cold when you do that?" Jenna asked. Odale shrugged.  
"Not exactley." she said.  
"But it's freezing!" Jenna replied, and shuddered.  
"Hmm." Odale didn't feel that. Was there anything wrong with her?  
"Hey, let's get going!" Septimus interupted them. And so, they got going.


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N Here you go, people! Thanks for all the reviews, it just means a lot of me. You can't see it, but I am mentally sending you cookies (or biscuits. Y'know what? From now on, I'm going to call them kakor. I am mentally sending you kakor). With that done, go on and read it (the chapter).)**

* * *

Chapter 9: The Hand Of Fatima

* * *

They had been walking for a long, long time and Jenna was starting to get tired and to feel cold. Odale was starting to feel the opposite. She was even feeling _excited _in a way she usually didn't feel. She was feeling... well, it felt as though her chest just wanted to rise, rise, rise and she just couldn't manage to breathe without exploding. Odale had never felt like that before.

"Sep," Jenna said, after another five mintues, "Maybe we should rest for the night? It's starting to get darke."

Indeed it was getting darke. Odale had merely noticed that until Jenna had mentioned it.

"Oh, yes." Septimus replied, "We probably should."

"The map sais there's refuges marked out." said Jenna. "And I think I see one from here."

Jenna did see a hut. The four of them hurried to get over there. Odale was, as always, a little bit against it. What if it would be haunted? She had a feeling that if she'd decide, she'd probably dig down into the snow and sleep there. She also had a feeling about that the others wouldn't have apprecitated it.

* * *

Odale had been expecting the hut's inside to remind her of the Obseravatorium- the place where she had grown up, but it infact did not. Infact, it was rather cozy. To the left, there were three platfroms over eacother, and Odale suppoused that they were suppoused to be used as beds. To the right, there stood a table, and a stove with a pile of fine logs piled up beside it. As said; it didn't look too bad. She took of the backpack she had been carrying and put it in a corner. Outside, it had been feeling very light but now, when she was inside, it started feeling heavy. She also unwrapped her cloak, which she had wrapped around her hips since she had thought it had been too warm. Jenna had thought she had been weird. Which she, to some amounts, maybe were.

Septimus had set fire to some of the logs, and they were now burning cheerfully in the stove. They all sat around the fire. Jenna, Septimus and Beetle was holding their hands by it to warm them, but Odale didn't feel as though she needed that. The excitement she had felt earlier begun to fade, and she felt extremely bored.

* * *

The backpack contained food. A several packets with fish, bread and witches' brew. Beetle even found a piece of toffee, and to everyones' surprise Odale picked out a box of chocolate from her belt. Odale loved chocolate. In the Observatorium they had barely been able to get fresh food, since neither DomDaniel, Pullman or Flarthy actually could go to the Castle, or to the Port. Sure, Odale had gone to the Castle and the Port, but then she had been suppoused to kill or spy on people, not get any groceries.

Zamir had given her the first piece of candy she ever had eaten. He had stolen a box of candy from a child while waiting for her, and when she arrived she had asked what he was eating. Odale hadn't really seen any sweets before that moment. She had _h__eard _about it, and she had never understood what people were making such a fuss about. The closest she ever had gotten to it was the crispy, sugar-dipped flies she had been given by the Port Witches. Zamir had been horrified at the thought, and offered her some pink, blue and yellow, sweet-tasting piece. And she had infact enjoyed it.

The first time she had tasted chocolate had been with Zamir, too. They had nicked three boxes from a ship that had moored in the Port, mostly because they had been bored. The boxes had contained chocolate. Odale remembered that time very well. She had been about eight years old, and it had been two weeks before Zamirs' dissapereance.

* * *

When they had eaten a little, they decided to go to sleep, even though it was- according to Beetle's timepiece- four o'clock. Jenna had said that it was because they were far east, which Odale found a bit interesting. She just did not understand how it could work.

While Jenna was reading something that Nicko had written to Septimus and Beetle, Odale stared at the ceiling. She had letted Septimus, Beetle and Jenna take the platforms while she herself slept on the floor. Or, she wasn't exactley sleeping. She was rather thinking, and turning restlessly as she did so. Odale thought about what Septimus had said; that the witches would want her because she was an Heiress. It was a stupid, yet haunting thought. What if she was? Her mother had said that their family just had been a rich traveler-family, but what if she had lied? The only comforting thought Odale had was that Marcia hadn't said anything about it. Marcia sure didn't say much about their family, but Odale was convinced that Marcia would have told her something that important. Otherwise, Odale would be very dissapointed. Thinking about that, Odale at last fell asleep.

* * *

Zamir, too was trying to fall asleep, even though it was early. Cashmére had told him into it.

He was resting in the spare-bed, in what Cashmére called 'Odale's extra bedroom', which was an almost empty room. There was just a bed in there, a nightstand, an almost empty wardrobe, a mirror and a lamp. Cashmére had said that he was allowed to stay there as long as he liked, and Zamir had the intention to stay there at least until Odale came back. Odale had mentioned something about a Second-Chance Scheme, which Zamir thought sounded inviting. Maybe there was more to that Marcia Overstrand than what he originally had thought.

Even though thoughts about the Second-Chance Scheme now and then crossed his mind, Zamir was mainly thinking about the reason why he had left Odale:  
the Hand of Fatima.

The Hand of Fatima was an ancient amulet, it was said, and brought it's owner an amazing self-control. The Hand of Fatima was searched for, especially by people with the EvilEye, since that would give them the power to **Control** their EvilEye, which meant that they could look at people, while being angry, without actually **cursing **them in any way.

Zamir had always wanted the Hand of Fatima. His mother had died while giving brith to him, and his father had abandoned him when he was only two years old. From that age until he was about five, Zamir had lived at a nursery. He had then been found by Alexander Flarthy, who had understood that he could use the boy's EvilEye in order to threaten people. Alexander had handed over the boy to DomDaniel, who had made him and Odale (or Laurine, as she was called at the time) cooperate. It had always worked out rather well, until the day Zamir left to find the Hand of Fatima.

* * *

**(A/N The hand of Fatima is an islamic symbol, also called Hamsa. The hand of Fatima is often used as an amulet, and is used to protects it's weares from the evil eye. The hand of Fatima is also used by jews, but is then called Miriams' Hand, or the hand of Miriam.)**


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N Hello, everyone! This is, as you can see, the new chapter. Thanks for all your positive reviews, they're so fun to read. See y'all)**

* * *

Chapter 9: Unjustice

* * *

Cashmére had told that boy to go and get some sleep, and now she was reading some novel. She didn't actually really care about it, but it was nice to have something to do, for a change. The book was, at least she thought so, about some couple. The man in the relationship got murdered, and the woman got despaired and so on. Yet, Cashmére couldn't feel she could relate to the story at all. The woman was such a dizz! She appereantly was one of these who couldn't do a thing without some man of some kind. Cashmére closed the book, and sighed. She rose up, and it just that moment someone knocked at the door. Cashmére smiled to herself. It was probably Odale.

* * *

Cashmére opend the door, still smiling. That smile faded when she saw Marcia, standing there.  
"Hello, Marcia." she said.  
"Good evening, Cashmére." Marcia replied.  
"Is Odale here?" Cashmére sighed.  
"No, she is _not_." she answered. "Why do you ask? Has something happened?"  
Cashmére had started looking at Marcia as problems. "Well," Marcia begun, "It a bit complicated-"  
"Spit it out." Cashmére demanded and Marcia sighed. She thought she recalled that she had told Cashmére about the Queste. In a way; she hoped she had done so. It would make things more easy.  
"Odale is possibly on a Queste." Marcia said, deciding to cut it short.  
"Hm?"  
"A Queste is-"  
"I know, I know." said Cashmére, "Some wizard stuff."  
"It's not just any 'stuff', Cashmére." Marcia replied, a bit angrily. "If Odale- or Septimus- is on that Queste; they'd be in serious danger."  
"I understand, Marcia, yet-"  
"Was that a heartbeat?"  
"Yes, Marcia, I _do _have a heart." Cashmére sighed.  
"Is this really the right time to fight?"  
"No, no of course not, but I heard another heartbeat- not yours." Marcia said, "Someone else's..."  
"Oh, yes, that'd be Odale's friend." Cashmére smiled, "Yes, he needed somewhere to stay..."  
"Merrin Meredith?"  
"No." Cashmére wrinkeled her nose at Merrins' name. "His name's Zamir."  
"I've never heard of him." said Marcia. Cashmére laughed.  
"Neither have I." she smiled again. "Would you like to step inside, Marcia? Some people are staring."  
"Oh, well thank you." Marcia said a bit awkwardly, and as Cashmére stepped aside and Marcia stepped inside. She hadn't taken any time to admire Cashméres' home; it was decorated in Cashméres' family-colours. Red. Everything was red. The carpet infront of the fire-place, the sofa and the armchair, the curtains infront of the window. The only contrast was a vase with flowers. Lilies and lavendel. Marcia smiled. It was a bittersweet memory.  
"Lilies and lavendel." she whispered.  
"Her favourite flowers." Cashmére nodded, "Yes."  
"Who's favourite flowers?" Marcia jumped at the foreign voice. She turned around.

* * *

Zamir had _not _expected to see the ExtraOrdinary Wizard to be there when he woke up. Neither had he realized that it actually was the ExtraOrdinary Wizard herself when he had stepped into the livingroom. Otherwise, he probably would have stayed where he had been. It felt odd to stand there, in front of the person who he had joked about with Odale. And now had turned out to be Odales' aunt. He could see that they were related, though. The hair, especially. The same, darke-browm locks.  
"Hello." said Marcia Overstrand.  
"Er..." Zamir replied, "Ehm, hi."  
"So, you're Odales' friend?"  
"Yep."  
"Oh." Marcia eyed him. "For how long have you been friends, then?"  
Zamir went silent. He actually couldn't remember. How old you she have been when he first had seen her? Six? He knew that he was about a year older than her, and he had been about seven. "I don't actually know, madam." he said.  
"Hmm." _Oops. _  
"But I think since I was seven." Zamir said. She raised her eyebrows. "She was about six."  
"Oh?" Marcia didn't seem to like that. "Really?"  
"Yes."  
Marcia pursed her lips, and opend her mouth and closed her mouth again. "That would mean you knew DomDaniel aswell."  
"I actually... didn't know him that good." Zamir replied. He was starting to feel nervous. Marcia unsettled him. He had never expected to ever be welcome in the Castle, but Marcia was actually very offending.  
"Marcia," said Cashmére, "He's just a _boy_."  
"He might be dangerous." Marcia replied angrily. Oh, _fun_. Of course she thought he was dangerous, it would have been too good, oterwise.  
"But he's a boy!" Cashmére protested.  
"He stil might be dangerous." Marcia insisted.  
"Madam, I can assure you that I have no bad intentions." Zamir said. Marcia roled her eyes- very Odale-like.  
"Marcia, don't be silly, now." Cashmére said, "We'll solve this when Odale comes back."  
Marcia sighed. "Fine."

* * *

Odale woke up in the morning. At first, she was feeling quite well, but then she noticed Jenna's and Septimus's mood, and she realized that maybe everything wasn't that well. They told her that someone- no, _something- _**Darke **had came by the previous night. Septimus had cast ban Anti-**Darke**-Spell, and it had dissapeard. They was still anxious though, and Odale started to feel anxious, she too.

They started packing their stuff, and soon it was time to go. The boys tried to push the door open, without any success. Odale supressed a smile.  
"We're locked in." said Beetle, and Odale could tell he was starting to feel nervous. She didn't blame him, but it was kind of stupid of them Odale supressed a smile, and she saw that Jenna did the same thing.  
"What?" Septimus asked.  
"Jen, do you want to, or can I do it?" Odale asked Jenna.  
"Let me do it." Jenna answered.  
"Do what?" Beetle wondered.  
"Open the door." said Jenna with a smile.  
"Jen, the door is pretty stuck-"  
"Why don't you let her try once?" Odale smiled even wider, and Jenna opend the door. Snow blew into the room.  
"Oh." said the boys. The door opend inwards.  
"Yeah," Odale answered, "Oh."  
"How do we get out now, then?" Jenna wondered.  
"I guess I could melt it up." Odale shrugged.  
"But-" Septimus protested, but Odale interupted him again.  
"C'mon, Sep, I know you dislike use of **Magyk **if it's not necessary." Odale said, "But, I mean, it's necessary _now._."  
"_Fine._" Septimus sighed. Odale gave him a rare smile, and concentrated on the **Spell **she was casting.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10: In Exchange

* * *

Merrin had just calmed himself down from a visit from Simon Heap, when another very unsettling happening accured. Somebody he had hoped he'd never see again, came by. Zamir.

Now, Zamir and Merrin had never quite got along. Since Zamir had been working for Odale, kind of, Merrin had grown scared of him, and since Odale had mocked Merrin all the time, Zamir had started doing the same thing.

The Cricket. Merrin didn't even know where that came from. Did he remind Zamir of a cricket, or what? It was better than stupid, though. Anything was better than stupid.

In which case, Zamir had entered the Manuscriptorium. Merrin had, in contrast to Odale, understood who it was before she saw his face. It was just something about his aura. At first, he was very scared, but then he realized one thing: he was actually free. He had the TwoFaced Ring, he had no boss. The only one who should be scared was Zamir.

* * *

"Cricket." Zamir glared at Merrin as he entered, "What are _you _doing here?"  
"I actually _work_." Merrin smirked. Zamir stopped and blinked for a few seconds, then his face returned to normal.  
"I can never imagine that _you'd _be useful." Zamir said.  
"Sais he who can't even _kill _anyone." Merrin bit back. Zamir leant over the desk Merrin was sitting behind, and said;  
"Hey, watch it." his fingers flew up to his eyepatch, and Merrin gulped. He had once seen what was beneath it. The eye was red and yellow, and looked as though it was very infected. It didn't exactley follow where the other eye looked, instead it darted here and there, as though it was looking for something. The skin around it was grey, and reminded him of scales. The skin there was also very scarred.

But then Merrin got reminded of his ring, and held up his hand and showed it to Zamir. He waved it slightly, and a bit rudely. Zamir narrowed his eyes.  
"That's a fake." he said.  
"Nope." Merrin smirked. He snapped his fingers, and a **Darke **flame appeard. He snapped his fingers again, and it dissapeard. "A-and does Lau... Odale know anything about this?" Zamir asked. A expression flashed across Merrins' face. Zamir couldn't really figure out what it meant. Merrin looked a bit scared.  
"N-no." he said, "And she won't get to know it, yet, either."  
Zamir shook his head, "I am going to tell her this." he replied.  
"No, you're not!" Merrin snapped.  
"I am." Zamir rose up, "As soon as she gets back."  
"No!" said Merrin, "If you tell her, I'll... I'll..."  
"You'll do _what?_"  
"I'll **curse **you, so that you _never _can control your eye ever again." Merrin spat.  
"No!" Zamir said.  
"If you tell her, I will." Merrin smiled. "So now you won't tell her, will you?"  
Zamir grimaced. It would be so much better to tell Odale about this, but he was a bit frightened by this. On the other hand, Odale maybe could find out on her own. Or maybe Marcia could find out. Or someone else, simply. And hopefully. Zamir sighed, turned around and left.

* * *

Odale had been slowly **warming **up the snow for five minutes when she suddenly **felt **something underneat the snow. Her first thought was that it maybe was Ullr, but then she turned around and saw Jenna cuddle with him. Carefully, ver carefully she reached out and ran her hands through the snow. She didn't feel cold, just as yesterday.

However, she did feel something furry. Odale bit her lip.  
"Sep!" she called out, "Sep, come and have a look at this."  
"What?" Septimus asked.  
"There's something underneath the snow." Odale answered.  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. Come have a look."  
Septimus kneeled down beside Odale, Odale started scraping away more and more snow, until she revealed some brown and grey fur.  
"See?"  
"Is it some kind of animal?" Septimus asked. Odale shrugged, and grabbed hold of the fur. She dragged it out of the snow.

It was a bundle of fur and white cloth. "Epiniah!" Jenna gasped, and settled down by the ratman. "Oh no, we've killed him."  
"_We?_" Odale asked.  
"It must have been Epiniah who scratched at the door last night." said Jenna. "And we ignored him."  
"But Jenna," Odale replied, "Septimus said he used a **Anti**-**Darke **spell. It wouldn't have affected Epiniah."  
She had hoped this would be soothing, but it wasn't. Very well, at least she _tried. _Odale glanced at the ratman. His lips were blue, but she could tell that he was breathing. His chest was rising lightly, very lightly. She took a step closer, to have a closer look. Her eyes went from Epiniah to Jenna, and then back again. Suddenly she saw something that shouldn't be there, and grabbed Jennas' cloak.  
"Odale-" Jenna protested. Odale crossed her fingers, and held them up to Sptimus. She pointed at Epiniahs' hand, and Septimus nodded. He got up, and signed the same thing to Beetle. Beetle nodded. He and Septimus stepped outside, and Odale followed. She partly shuffed, partly dragged Jenna with her. Odale snapped her fingers, and the door swung shut. Then, she started running. Beetle, Septimus and Jenna (though Jenna followed slightly reluctantly) followed.

* * *

After a while, Odale did not now for how long, they had to stop. The others were exhausted. Odale could have run for a little while longer, but even she had begun to slow down.  
"Wh-what are we doing?" Jenna asked, "What about Epiniah?"  
"That wasn't Epiniah." Septimus answered.  
"It was something **Darke**." Odale filled in. "I saw it."  
"How?"  
"It had a ring..." Odale said, "A black one. It looked like a snake."  
"Huh." said Beetle, as though he remembered something, "A black snake?"  
"Yeah."  
"Made of licorice?"  
"Maybe." Odale tried to get the image of the ring back in her mine, "How so?"  
"That boy, he who took my job-"  
"Merrin did _not _take your job, he filled in after you." Odale said, slightly annoyed. "You were fired, Beetle. Djinn probably hadn't any legitimate reasons, but you were fired."  
"_However_," Beetle continude, fighting an urge to role his eyes, "I saw him talk to Fume-"  
"Hmm."  
"-He promised Fume that in exchange for Fume doing something for him, Merrin gave him a **thing**."  
"Really?" Odale raised her eyebrows. "Merrin? A _**thing**?"  
_"Yup." Beetle said, and Odale snorted.  
"Merrin is _not _a wizard."  
"Yeah, but-"  
"What's next, then?" Odale snapped, "Maybe _Jenna _is complotting against the Castle? Is she going to kill Marcia, perhaps?"  
"Odale, you know Jenna never would-"  
"Just as I know Merrin never would." Odale said. Septimus could tell by Odale's voice that she had settled for not thinking Merrin was doing anything bad. He sighed. She could be so stubborn. It was time to leave the topic.

He looked over his shoulder. He could see something, he was pretty sure it was the creature from the hut, advancing towards then.  
"We've got company." he said, and pointed at the **thing**.  
"We should run." Beetle replied.  
"No." said Odale, and the others turned around and stared at her. "We should hide, and wait for it to pass by."  
"Because it would be easier not to have to look over the shoulder for it all the time?" Beetle wondered.  
"Bingo." Odale managed a smile.  
"So **things **can't sense hearbeats?" Jenna asked.  
"Of course they can."  
"But-"  
"But only if they listen for them." Odale glanced at the creature for one last time. "C'mon now, before it catches up."


	12. Chapter 12

**(A/N I'm sorry that Zamir bashes religion. Please, do not be offended by that. You can believe in what you will, it's just a characters opinion. I'm religious myself, so please, no flames on that. It's not meant to offend anyone.)**

* * *

Chapter 10: Tears

* * *

They hid behind a great pile of snow and waited for the **thing** to pass by. Odale offered to destroy it, but Septimus said no. He wanted to know where it was going. Usually, Odale would have destroyed it anyways, but she understood that there was a point in what Septimus had said.

_What was the **thing **__doing?_

And what more important was; since Merrin hadn't created the **thing**, and Odale had not, it would soon show, wouldn't it?

* * *

Zamir looked into the mirror in the room he was suppoused to sleep in. It was one of the very few furnitures there. It was a beautiful mirror, entirely made in silver. But Zamir didn't look at the details. Instead, he was looking at his own eye. His left one, the one with the eyepatch. He had wondered many times about that eye. Why did he have it? Why did it even exist an eye like that?

He had traveled around a lot, and seen a whole lot of things. He had met people who believed in higher powers- gods and goddesses- and he found it weird. Infact, stupid. If there was any gods or goddesses who were so good and perfect and almighty, why did they let things like EvilEyes exist? Why did they let people get hurt, why did they create bad things?

If there was any god or goddess, that one had to be evil himself or herself. It was just as simple as that. Zamir sighed. His fingers flew up to his eyepatch. Slowly, very slowly he removed it from his eye. He stared at himself. At his eye. It was gross. It was horrable. The skin around it was grey, green and scarred. He had caused some of the scars himself. The eye- the part which in his other eye was emerald green- was red, and the thing that was suppoused to be white was yellow and sticky. His EvilEye didn't obey him, instead it looked wherever it felt like looking. It was almost taunting him.

Zamir suddenly heard a gasp behind him, and he turned around. Odales' mother had appereantly entered the room, and now she looked very shocked. Zamir flew up. He felt his cheeks grow red, and he looked down.  
"Sorry." he mumbled.  
"What has happend to your eye?" Cashmére asked. Zamir could tell she knew it was an EvilEye, she just wanted him to confirm it.  
"I..." Zamir didn't know what to say. Cashmére tilted her head to one side.  
"You have the EvilEye, don't you?" she wondered. She knew. Zamir nodded. He could feel himself tearing up, which was strange. He never cried. He usually hold feelings to himself, it was just that simple. And people in his surroundings would never had accepted him crying, or letting feelings take over. Not his father, no one at the care-home he had spent years in. Not even Odale.

But now, he was crying. He tried to stop it, to choke his sobs, but it wasn't possible. Zamir couldn't believe it was possible that he cried, but when Cashmére gave him a hug, he cried.

* * *

The **thing **had passed, and they had waited for a few minutes, putting a distance between them and the **thing**. After that, they started going again. Jenna was still a bit shocked about all this about Epiniah, but she got over it. Luckily.

They walked for quite a long time, and they rarely made any pauses. Odale wished they could walk a bit faster, she had so much energy. But then, she understood that they would have to take more pauses. Odale loathed the pauses. She didn't like the waiting.

But they were advancing, though. When a spot in the horisont, which she originally had thought was a pile of snow, started growing and taking the shape of a house the closer they got, she understood that they probably was close to their goal. Because, even though the place they were going to weren't on the map, it felt quite obvious that they were going to that house. At least, Odale was sure it was that house. And she was right.

* * *

They arrived at the house at dawn. It was an impressive sight.  
"Are ye just goin' to watch, or are you going to cross, aswell?" the voice made the four of them jump, and turn around. Infront of them stood a man. He was not especially handsome. He was short, rather chubby and all his teeth were exchanged towards golden teeth. His whole appereance screamed out that he wasn't anyone you should trust.  
"We're going to cross." Jenna said. The man bared his golden teeth, in something that probably was meant to resemble a smile.  
"Ye will have to pay." he replied. The group exchanged looks. They hadn't anything they could pay with. "Now," the man said, "I am a good man. I won't make you pay me something you can not pay."  
He pointed at Jenna. Odale watched his hand, and a twinge of recognition just flashed through her mind. On the mans little finger, he had a ring. A certain black ring.  
Acting immediatley, Odale **froze **the man.  
"Let's just pass." she said, and looked doubtfully at the bridge leading over to the other side. She was afraid of heights, and knew Septimus was that aswell. _It's going to be alright_, she tried to convince herself. _You know it's going to be alright_.

* * *

Why on _earth_ would anyone make a bridge like that? Over some deep... _chasm_. Wasn't Hotep-Ra afraid of heights? This puzzled Odale a bit. In which way, they would have to cross that chasm. Odale felt sick at the thought.

Jenna was first to get onto the bridge. She seemed to be fearless. Odale swallowed. How could she? Septimus followed. He was, just as Odale, scared of heights. But he didn't show it. Yet, he held onto the edge of the bridge, so Odale suspected that he had shut his eyes. Beetle was just about to step onto the bridge, but Odale stopped him.  
"Wait until Jenna reaches the end." she said, "We don't know how much the bridge can take."  
Beetle nodded.

Jenna didn't take much time on her to get to the other side. As soon as she had reached the other end, Beetle got onto the bridge. Odale knew that soon, as soon as Septimus had reached the other end, she would have to get on it aswell. But she didn't want to. In order to find courage, she searched through her pockets for something comforting. She felt something Cold with a smooth Surface, and she picked it up.

* * *

**(A/N Oooh, a cliffhanger (kind of). However, I just have to say that I'm going to change the title of the story soon, because I'm going rewrite Syren in this story too (hope you got that). So if you don't find the title (Where All Times Meet), then just look at my profile and you'd probably find it easier. Or I'll just tell you what the new title is as soon as I've decided what it is going to be. Thinking of it, it would be simpler. In which case; see y'all soon!)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12: Where All Times Meet

* * *

Orange. The stone was orange. Last time she had watched it, it had been green. What did orange mean? Odale looked up, and saw that Septimus had reached the other side.  
"Sep?" she called out. He turned around, and Odale held up the stone. "What did orange mean?"  
Septimus seemed to think for a while. "...Yellow to guide you through the snow, orange to warn you that over you'll go." he then said. Did that mean they were close to the goal of the Queste? Did this mean that the House of Foryx was the goal? She'd have to walk over to the bridge so that she could discuss it with Septimus. But she didn't want to go over. But she had to. Odale took a step, and grabbed hold of the edges. It was _rocky._

Odale had once heard that if she fixed at something, not the chasm, but something infront of her, crossing would be so much easier. And she tried, she really did, but screams were heard from the chasm and it was hard not to look down there. She threw another glance down the chasm, but then she heard something and stumbled. Odale let out a shriek, thinking that she was going to fall of the edge. But she didn't. Rather shakingly she rose up, and then continude over to the other side.

* * *

"You tripped." said Septimus.  
"I did?" Odale snapped. "Oh, I didn't notice."  
"You should have been more careful." Jenna replied.  
"So what?" Odale asked. "Now, let's knock on the door over there."  
"That sounds stupid."  
"It was my intention."  
"Huh."

* * *

They did knock on the door. All four had now understood that it was the House of Foryx they were nearby, and all of them knew about the myths about it. Somebody would have to wait outside, so that they could return to their own time. Beetle would do that.  
"Yessss?" Odale jumped at the voice, which came from the door. A man stood there, yet he looked more like a pig than a man. He eyed them.  
"We're here to see our brother." Jenna said. The man made a grimace which Odale suppoused to be a smile.  
"Is it so?" he asked. He lisped. Odale found that quite annoying.  
"She did say so." Odale snapped.  
"You can not entew, anyways." said the man.  
"And why is that?" Odale asked.  
"Because it has always been like that." the man replied. Odale crossed her arms. Then she had an idea.  
"But we're on a Queste!" she protested, taking out the stone.  
"All of you?" the man asked.  
"No."  
"Who is on the Queste?"  
"I am." Odale and Septimus said, in unison. Then they glared at eachother.  
"Who of you?"  
"Both." said Septimus, rather reluctantly.  
"_Weally?_" the man asked.  
"Well, no." Odale answered.  
"_No?_"  
"We took it at about the same time." Odale said.  
"Then you can entev."  
"But what about me?" Jenna asked.  
"Jenna, you can stay outside." Odale answered. "We'll go get Nicko for you."  
"No!" Jenna said, "I mean, thanks, but I'd prefer to get him myself."  
Odale sighed. This could get a bit tricky. "But Jenna, it might get dangerous."  
"So?" Jenna asked.  
"You're the Princess, Jenna." Odale said impatiently, "There's _one _of you. It's better if you stay safe."  
"And you're that heir-thing!" Jenna protested, "But nobody tells you to stay safe."  
Odale did a grimace. "I'm _not_ an Heiress!"  
"We don't know that."  
"I know it." Odale said, "And Jen, he won't even let you in."  
"But what about the Right of the Riddle?"  
"The Wight of the Widdle?"  
"Yeah." Jenna said. Odale groaned.  
"Jen-"  
"The Right of the Riddle." Jenna replied, "I can do that, right."  
"Yes, you can." the man said.

* * *

Jenna knew all of the riddles, and she passed. They could enter the House of Foryx, and it looked exactley as Snorri's aunt Ells had said it would. While they admired the hall, a woman came up to them. She knocked at Odale's shoulder.  
"Hello?" she said.  
"Hi..." Odale replied. The woman eyed her. Then she said something on a language Odale didn't understand. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand-"  
"Are you from the Eastern Snowplains?" the woman asked. She sounded a bit excited.  
"I-" Odale scratched her hair, "I mean, er, yes, but-"  
"But?"  
"I've never really been there." she said.  
"But you're from there?"  
"Well, both my parents came from there and so. Why do you ask?"  
"You look familiar. Are you sure you've never been there?"  
"Yes, I've always lived in the Castle." that people recognized Odale was mostly not a good thing. For an instance, she once had got attacked on the Wizard Way. "But my parents come from the Eastern Snowplains."  
"Are you sure we haven't met before?" the woman asked. She looked at Odale. Like really _looked_. Her emerald eyes was intense, and her golden eyeliner probably added some intensity. The hair was jet-black, and she was dressed in what appeard to be a golden dress, but with a white-fur-collar. "What's your name?"  
"Odale Overstrand."  
"Ha, I was right!"  
"You know me?"  
"Well, I've never met you, but I guessed your family." the woman said. "I'm Catriona, by the way."  
"Oh." Odale said. She had never heard about Catriona. Which, after all, wasn't that strange. She was rarely told about her family and when she was, she wasn't told that much. And she couldn't ask Marcia or her mother, or her father even, because they always waved it of with a smile and something about that they'd tell her another time. And Odale loathed that. She actually wanted to know a little about her family. Not just Marcia, her mother and her father, but about her grandparents, and about her father's and Marcia's siblings. She knew they had two more brothers. The brothers interested her especially, for some reason. And she wanted to know if they were alive, and if they were alive she wanted to know what they worked as and where they lived.  
"So, how's your father doing?" Catriona was smiling.  
"You know my father?"  
"Melchior was my advisor."  
"My fathers' name isn't Melchior." said Odale. "It's Joseph."  
"Joseph _Overstrand?" _Catriona replied. She suddenly got pale. "But-"  
"But what?"  
"No. So much time can't have passed."  
"I don't know what you're-"  
"What year is it?"  
"12 002."  
"No!" the woman was pale. "No, no, _no_."  
"What's no?" Odale asked. "Are you alright?"  
"I didn't think that much time had passed." she answered, with a strain voice.  
"Odale, what's up?" Jenna asked.  
"Nothing," Odale said. "Go find Nicko, I'll be there in a sec."  
"'kay."  
"I- I can't understand that so much time has passed." Catriona breathed. "I..."  
"It's okay." Odale said. "I'm sure it'll be alright."  
"No." tears roled down the womans' cheeks.  
"I will be alright." Odale insisted. "I'm here with my... friend, and he's going to get his brother back. I'm sure we can bring you, too."  
"But I've been here for thirty years, in my own time." the woman said. "I'd never be able to adjust..."  
"Please."  
"No." Catriona said. "Yet, maybe..."  
"What?"  
"Do you know who's the Emperor in the Eastern Snowplains now?"  
"No." Odale admitted. "I don't."  
"Can you please look that up?" Catriona asked. "And if it's Agreus, can you make sure he gets book?"  
She pulled out a thick, red book. Odale took it. "Sure thing." she said.


	14. Chapter 14

**(A/N Just as in the last chapter, there will be a whole lot of dialogue.)**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Eastern Snow Princess

* * *

"But if the Eastern Snowplains has Heiresses instead of princesses, why are you then the Eastern Snow Princess?" Odale asked. She and Catriona had settled down in a sofa, and they were now discussing the Eastern Snowplains.  
"Ah, but I was getting married to the Emperor." Catriona said. "Someone who's getting married to the Emperor or Empress is called Prince or Princess. When they get married to the Emperor or Empress, they might to become that. Or they just keeps their title. It kind of depends on the circumstances."  
"Okay." Odale said.  
"I know it's complicated." Catriona replied. "But it will make sense someday."  
"Hm." people always said that things would be more understandable when they were older, that they would make sense. Nothing annoyed Odale more.  
"Hey, tell me more about that necklace." Catriona said. Her fingers touchd the necklace Odales' mother had given Odale a few days earlier. Odale touched it aswell.  
"I got it from mo... my mother." Odale replied.  
"You do know it's **Magykal**, don't you?" Catriona wondered.  
"Yeah." Odale answered. "**Change.**"  
The seal-berlock grew warm and changed back to the half woman, half seal- thing.  
"Ha! A selkie. How creative." Catriona smiled. "Back home there's lots of these." _Home._  
"Mother said that." Odale said.  
"She knows a lot, your mother, it seems."  
"I guess." Odale sighed.  
"Who is she, by the way?" Catriona asked.  
"Her name's Cashmére." said Odale and shrugged. "According to her she comes from some trader-family, but then I've heard quite a bit people telling me that she was the Heiress."  
"What's her last name?"  
"Overstra-"  
"No, what was she called before she was married?"  
"Something with a T." Odale answered. "T... anner?"  
"Tanner?" Catrina laughed. "But then she can _impossibly _be from a trader-family. The Tanners' are nobility."  
"What?" Odale wondered, "But she told me..."  
"Your mother probably had legitimate reasons to not tell you the truth, Odale."  
"She still lied to me."  
"Your grandmother actually was from a trader-family." Catriona said.  
"You knew my grandmother?" Odale asked.  
"Yes, both Trassimma and Erianna." Catriona smiled. "But they didn't quite get along."  
"Why?"  
"Well, I can't exactley say that I know all about it, but one of the reasons may be that Erianna knew a thing that Trassimma didn't want her to know."  
"What?"  
"You're a curious little girl, aren't you?" Catriona laughed. "Well, before your grandmother Trassimma had any children with your grandfather, Melchior, she was married to another man and had a daughter with him. But the husband and the daughter died in a fire when the daughter was merely two years old. Trassimma was devestated. That was when she met Melchior. Melchior was a very caring man- he was one of my best friends, actually- and he immediatley took are of her. The two of them soon fell in love."  
"Oh." Odale wondered if Marcia ever had heard of that. "But how did my other grandmother find out about it?"  
"Well, Trassimma was married to Alonzo Beth, who was Eriannas' childhoodfriends' brother." Catriona said.  
"Oh."  
"I think you would have liked Erianna." Catriona said. "You both seem very alike."  
"Thanks." Odale replied, "I think. What was she like?"  
"She was a warrior." Catriona said, but was interupted.  
"Odale?"  
"_Beetle?_" Odale wondered, "Beetle, you're suppoused to be outside!"  
"I know, but-"  
"But what, exactley?"  
"I got worried."  
"Oh, you complete _idiot!_" Odale had worked up a whole lot of frustration on Beetle. She didn't like when people accused her things for, what Odale saw as, no legitimate or fair reason. She didn't care about that Beetle had tried to be kind. "You should be worried _now! _We probably won't even be able to get back! Oh, _idiot!_"  
"Ods?"  
"Septimus?" Odale was starting to feel feeble. "Did you find Nicko?"  
"No, but I need the **Queste Stone**." he said.  
"What for?" asked Odale sucpiciousley.  
"Uhm, well..."  
"I'll go with you to whereever you are going, and meanwhile you can tell me all about what you need it for."  
"But-"  
"So you didn't want it?" Odale could sometimes be really annoying. Septimus sighed.

* * *

"Okay, let's see if I got it right..." Odale fingered at the stone in her pocket. Septimus had told her what he had seen. "You found a door, which looks like Marcias'?"  
"Yep."  
"So you _knocked _at it, then this girl said that you couldn't enter, if you were not on a **Queste**?"  
"Yeah."  
"So you said that you actually are on a **Queste**, but she didn't believe you and wanted you to prove it by giving her the stone, which you don't have?"  
"Yes."  
"So you went to get the stone from me."  
"That sums it up pretty well." Septimus said. Odale sighed. She was still angry at him for trying to take the **Queste**-stone and for accusing Merrin without, in Odales' opinion, no legitimate proof. Not to mention that he was being rude to Zamir and asked a bit embarassing questions. Sometimes Odale just didn't understand why she was friends with him.  
"So, where was that door?" she asked.  
"Just around this corner, I think..." Septimus answered, and indeed there was a door there. Identical with Marcias'. Odale whistled lowly.  
"Hmm." she said.  
"I thought maybe there was some secret way to Marcias' apartment, or something." Septimus said and sighed. "So I tried to enter it, but it wouldn't open. Then I knocked, and that girl opend."  
"I wonder if you're maybe right, anyways."  
"Huh?"  
"Maybe it has some kind of connection to Marcias' door. Y'know. Maybe we'll be able to find out if it has."  
"Yeah, maybe." said Septimus, "Or maybe not."  
"Don't always be so negative."  
"I'm just being realistic, Ods."  
"No, you're not." Odale snapped, "You're just as _boring _as usual."  
"Hey, if you want some 'fun', then why don't you go hang around that boyfriend of yours, Zamir..."  
"He's _not _my boyfriend!" Odale hissed. "And just because you're always doing _exactley _what Marcia tells you to do, or what you think she wants to, doesn't mean you _always_ have to do what she would have done."  
"Shut up."  
"You shut up."  
"Maybe I should."  
"_Good_." Odale snorted. "Just knock on the blasted door, so we'll get this over with."

* * *

**(A/N So, they fought and there was a lot of dialogue and stuff. There'll be quite a lot more dialogue in this story. And I don't know if I've said this, but I'm going to combine the 'Odale version' of Queste and Syren into one, so I'm going to change the title. Some of the later chapters might also be in Odales' point of view, as long as it doesn't get too Mary Sue-ish. Would it be too Mary Sue-ish? Opinions, please? See y'all soon then, I suppose. ) **


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14: Hotep-Ra

* * *

Septimus knocked at the door. Odale crossed her arms and sighed. "Well?" she said, "What's suppoused to happen now, then?"  
"Just wait a few seconds, Odale."  
"Hmm." they Went silent for a while.  
"Hey, Ods, we really shouldn't fight like this. It's not right."  
"You started it."  
"You're just being childish." he said. Odale didn't even reply.

* * *

A girl opend the door. Odale couldn't really tell which age she was in, but she knew that the girl was older than her.  
"Oh, you again." the girl sighed, slightly irritated. "So? Do you have it now, then?"  
"Er, Odale, the-"  
"I get it." Odale pulled out the **Queste-Stone **from her pocket. "He said you needed to see this."  
"Hm, that _is _the stone." the girl said. "But... aren't you a little too young to be on the **Queste**?"  
"I suppouse we kind of are." Odale replied. "But we're still on it. So..."  
"Hm." the girl said, "I had hoped for someone more... mature to spend time with. Very well."  
Odale roled her eyes, and then looked around. The whole place had sme scent of **Magyk**, and then it reminded her of Marcias' room a little. What was it for a _place?_ Septimus appereantly seemed to be thinking what Odale was thinking, because he asked the girl just what Odale had thought.  
"What is this place?"  
"House of Foryx." came the answer.  
"The room_, _I think he meant." Odale snapped.  
"You'll get to know that soon." the girl said. Septimus and Odale sighed in unison.  
"And who are you, by the way?" Septimus asked.  
"Talmar." the girl answered. _Talmar?_ Familiar. Very familiar. Odale couldn't really place it anywhere.  
"You don't happen to be Talmar _Ray Bell_, do you?" Septimus asked.  
"That'd be me." the girl said. She looked a bit puzzled. "But how would you know me?"  
Septimus smiled widely. Odale roled her eyes again. Sometimes, he could be really _hopeless_.

The faint sound of a little bell was heard, and Talmar nodded.  
"My Master is ready to see you now." she said. "Follow me."  
Odale and Septimus exchanged looks, the followed Talmar. Talmar led them to the end of the room. She pushed aside some heavy curtians, and a figure became visible. He sat by a fireplace in an armchair, not very different from one in Marcias' apartment, which she always claimed was hers.

Talmar signed to them to go closer, and so they did. The man looked up. Odale thought that she recongnized him from somewhere. His hair was white and wavy, and held back by the ExtraOrdinary Wizards' headband. His eyes was emeraldgreen, and he wore ancient ExtraOrdinary Wizard robes.  
"Merry meet." he smiled, and tried to rise up. Talmar rushed up and helped him stand.  
"Merry meet." Odale and Septimus responded. Septimus shook the old mans hand, and so did Odale. But the mans' gaze merely left Septimus's right hand. Odale tried to see what he was looking at.  
"You have my ring." the man said to Septimus. _What? _But the ring was suppoused to belong to... Hotep-Ra. Could this man really be him?  
"But this ring belonged to Hotep-Ra. It can't be yours. Unless..." Septimus said. The man smiled.  
"You know who I am?"  
"You're Hotep-Ra..."

* * *

"Now, there's only one part of your **Queste** left." said Hotep-Ra. They, Talmar, Hotep-Ra, Septimus and Odale, had just eaten dinner.  
"O-oh?" Odale felt nerveous. Was this how everyone not came back? Would they have to do some kind of very dangerous mission?  
"You have to give me the stone." Hotep-Ra replied.  
"Okay." Odale felt relieved. Nothing more than that? She handed over the stone to the ancient Wizard. He smiled at her, and put both hands around the stone, which now was read, glowed through his hands, causing the bones in his hands to appear as dark shades. The glow soon faded and Hotep-Ras' hands returned back to normal. He smiled at Septimus and Odale. He showed them the stone, which now was black.  
"A souvenir." he said, "Now, you can tell me all that has happend in the Castle meanwhile I've been gone."  
Odale widened her eyes. "_All _of it?" she asked and glanced at Septimus. He looked anxious aswell.  
"Yes, of course." Hotep-Ra answered. "As apprentices, you both know that, don't you?"  
His smile faded. "Has something..." he stopped in the middle of the sentence. He looked at the stones, then at Septimus and Odale.  
"Master?" Talmar wondered, "Are you alright?"  
"I numbered each of the twenty-one stones with their own number." Hotep-Ra said, "But this is number twenty-one. The last one."  
"I knew it!" Talmar said, "I knew that they were up to no good. They must have stolen the stone. They're nothing more than simple thieves."  
"How dare you call us that?!" Odale hissed, "The **Queste **is an _awful _thing! Everyone _hates _it!"  
"What?" Hotep-Ra looked puzzled.  
"Everyone who has ever participated has never came back to the Castle. And I bet that Fume-"  
"Fume?" Hotep-Ra asked. "Is he back in the Castle?"  
"Well, yes, as that horrable, ancient ghost he is." Odale spat. "He cheated to make Sep get the stone."  
"What? Why would he do that?"  
"To vengeance our tutor, Marcia. The **Queste **is a deathsentence, more or less."  
"Oh no." Hotep-Ra widened his eyes. "But... oh."  
"What is it?" Septimus asked.  
"The **Queste **was suppoused to be an honor." said Hotep-Ra. "Not some kind of deathsentence."  
"It _was?_"  
"Yes." the wizard sighed. "I had thought that after a seven yeas long apprentice-ship it would be great fun to go to the House of Foryx and meet the founder of the Wizard Tower. Appereantly... I was wrong. Somebody must have **Darkened **the Queste."  
"Fume?"  
"Exactley." Hotep-Ra sighed. "You can't always trust someone who calls himself a friend of yours."  
Odale glanced at Septimus, who seemed to be giving her a _what-didn't-I-tell-you_ look, and she grimaced shortly. He had no right in doing that.  
"However, I was just thinking... how many ExtraOrdinaries has there been since I was in the Castle?"  
"Sevenhundred and seventysix." Septimus said.  
"You're joking!"  
"No, he's not." Odale said. "Our tutor had us count them as late as last week."  
"Oh, goodness..."


End file.
